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With the new year a few weeks behind us, now is a great time to look at our New Year’s resolutions and evaluate how we will achieve them. It’s sad, but many people set goals that they will never achieve.

But being lazy is not the only reason that people don’t achieve their goals. There’s another reason why you you’re not getting what you want: You haven’t set the right goals.

It happens all the time. Some people set a goal like: I want to lose 25 pounds in the next three months. Is this really the goal though? Maybe it is, but my guess is that most people with these kinds of goals need to dig a little bit deeper inside of themselves.

Why do you want to lose 25 pounds or increase your bench press by 30 pounds? For many people, the answer might be that they want to look better. So the true goal is to look and feel better, and increasing your bench press or losing 25 pounds is what you believe you need to do to get there, whether that’s actually the truth or not.

So, you need a goal to get you from point A [where you are right now] to point B [where you want to be]. Knowing point A is easy because you’re already there, but clearly envisioning point B will require a little more effort. Think about what you really want to achieve as your goal.

Finally, you’ll have to mentally create the road that connects point A and point B. You’ll need to have a plan that will get you where you want to go. This is a lot like looking at a map before you start driving.

Some people might say ‘Hey, I don’t have time to look at a map because I’m in a huge hurry’. The truth is, you don’t have time to drive around without looking at a map first. You could drive around all day before you find the place you’re looking for. The same is true for your goals.

So here are 5 essential tips that can help you to set your goals more effectively.

1. Simple and measurable: Your goal should be simple enough that you can easily remember it throughout the day. Simplicity and specificity can sometimes be opposites, so you will need to strike a healthy balance between saying too much and saying too little.

At the very least, your goal should say what you are trying to accomplish and how. The “how” of your goal should be something that you can easily measure. For example:

“My goal is to do 3 sets of the bench press with a target pressing weight of 150 pounds twice a week. I’ll measure I’ll goal by recording it in my training log at the end of each workout.”

2. Write them down and share with others: Once you have a goal that is specific and measurable, write it down. Tell other people about it and just get it out there. Post your written goals somewhere where you are likely to see them again. Maybe your bathroom mirror is a good place. This will remind you at a regular interval to rededicate to your plan.

Telling other people is the first step in moving your goal beyond something that exists in your mind only. Move them outside of your mind by sharing them. Have your friends and family members follow up with you from time to time. Just knowing that they will ask about your goal will help you to keep the motivation you need.

3. Think about your goals throughout the day: Think about your goals whenever you can. When you keep your goals at the forefront of your mind, inspiration and meaning will flow through you. Certain events that happen throughout your day will bring new meaning and new direction to your goals. Ideas will spring forth from your mind that you never expected. The parts of your day that are usually boring will become opportunities to plan and strategize.

Even the busiest of people will have the time to do this. This is because the simple act of thinking is something that we can do literally anywhere. Some of the best times to think will be in the restroom or the shower, on your way to work in the car, waiting in line at lunch time, or as you fall asleep at night. With time, you will even begin to think about your goals in your sleep!

4. Set goals that you can achieve: If you achieve your goals 100% of the time, then you are not setting your goals high enough… right? Wrong. Your goal should be something that you can certainly achieve if you follow through. The reason we often miss the mark for our goals is that we set the wrong kind of goal. We set a goal to have a certain outcome. Try setting a performance-based goal instead of a goal that focuses on a certain outcome… the outcome is still very important, but this shifts the focus to the actions that you should be taking. More on performance-based goals in part 2.

5. Create a plan to achieve your goals: Without a plan, you are lost. Back to our example of building a muscular body- to achieve this goal, you will need to asses the weak points of your body and make a plan to bring them up to speed. You will need to decide which exercises will help you to meet your goals and how you will do them.

Your plan might include things like your eating habits, your workout frequency, finding a gym partner, deciding on how you will do your cardio, etc. Just recognize ahead of time that your plan will probably have to change at some point. You won’t be able to get the same results from doing the same things forever. Always stay one step ahead of yourself by constantly reevaluating your methods.