How to set goals you can keep in 2019

The close of one year and ushering in of the next, be it on 31 December or with February's Lunar New Year celebrations, often prompts people to set resolutions. Here are some ways to set goals and keep them on track:

• Choose no more than three goals and write them down.
• Make them measurable, manageable, and motivational.
• Break them into small, achievable chunks.
• Be as specific as you can about what you want to achieve, and why.
• Make sure they reflect what you want to achieve, not what you think you should be achieving.
• Change them if they turn out not to be right for you. Life is what happens when you're making plans, so goals shouldn't be set in stone.

—By Jackie Fitzgerald, FCMA, CGMA, a professional coach and owner of Alquimia Coaching & Development of Harwell, Oxfordshire, in the UK.