SMART New Year’s Resolutions

SMART New Year’s Resolutions


As we usher in another new year, the feeling of excitement is often accompanied by an undercurrent of motivation to start fresh and get our life on track. I’m sure many of you have already begun thinking and planning for your 2025 New Year’s resolutions. Whether these are focused on physical health, mental health, professional growth or personal improvement, it’s important to be SMART.

S.M.A.R.T. goals are a useful tool for managing your expectations and staying motivated in your progress in whatever you set out to do. The acronym stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. These parameters allow us to take charge and hold ourselves accountable, because it keeps our resolutions focused and our expectations realistic. When the stepping stones and the accomplishments are more obvious, you are more likely to succeed and stay committed to your goal.

In music therapy practice, it is imperative that our objectives for clients follow these guidelines. Whether we are tracking data for insurance reimbursement or research purposes, or simply advocating for our clients to families and the community, this type of goal provides that framework. If a non-speaking client comes in with a general goal to become more verbal, we might break that down like this:

Specific: The client will say a greeting (one word - hello).

Measurable: The client will verbalize a greeting one time.

Achievable: The client is competent in oral motor control and receptive language, so this is an appropriate expectation.

Relevant: Greetings are a vital part of social communication skills.

Time-bound: The client will achieve this goal within six months of treatment. 

Objective: The client will verbalize “Hello” independently one time per session in three sessions by the end of the six month treatment period. 

We now have a clear window into their overall goal of becoming more verbal, and can easily track and celebrate their progress. 

Some tips to make your own resolutions more SMART are to avoid vague language, decide on a method for measurement (whether through numbers, frequency, milestones), and stay relevant and practical. Your goal should be challenging but also fall within the time and resources currently available to you. If your goal for 2025 is to be more fit, we can follow the guidelines like this.

Specific: I will run a 5K.

Measurable: I will achieve this by running 20 minutes a day.

Achievable: I have free time after work every day to dedicate to running.

Relevant: Running is a great way to maintain cardiovascular health.

Time-bound: I will run the Turkey Trot 5K in November of this year without stopping.

Whatever your intentions are for this new year, I hope you are able to find a practice that works for you. The biggest reminder I hope to leave you with is no matter the pace of your progress, be kind to yourself, and remember to celebrate the little wins.

Wishing you a happy and healthy 2025, 

Perfect Harmony Health

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