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It’s that time of year where people start thinking about their goals and targets for the next twelve months. These resolutions typically take the form of vague ambitions like “get fitter” or “read more.” But setting such hazy goals is dooming you to failure from the outset.

For a start, success is impossible to measure. You could go for one run around the park or read a single page of a book and you’ll have ticked off your resolution on day one. But there is nothing there to motivate you to achieve your full potential, and no accountability to keep you on track.

When drafting your new year’s resolutions, therefore, it is essential to ensure that you articulate them in the form of SMART goals. This means they should be:

• Specific (A narrow, non-vague target that makes for more efficient planning)
• Measurable (There are clear definable metrics you can use as evidence of your progress)
• Attainable (You can reasonably accomplish your goal within the given timeframe)
• Relevant (The goal should cohere with your values, character, and long-term objectives)
• Time-sensitive (You should set a clear end-date for the completion of your goal)

Setting goals in this way makes you more likely to achieve them, as they are easier to track and have a time element which creates a sense of urgency. It also ensures the goal itself is a worthwhile and meaningful one.

It’s quite easy to recalibrate a generic vague resolution into the form of a SMART goal. For example, let’s say your goal for 2022 is to save money. This in itself is not a useful goal, as it doesn’t indicate how much you need to save in order to be successful. Instead, your resolution could be to have $2000 dollars saved up by June 1st in order to pay for your dream summer vacation. This is a very specific goal with a measurable target figure and a clear end-date. It is up to you to decide whether it is relevant to your values and attainable given your financial circumstances.

So with this in mind, it is worth looking at some meaningful new year’s resolutions you could make for 2022. If you’re stuck for inspiration, the following ideas offer potential goals that could actually make a difference to your life in the long term. Just make sure when setting your resolutions that you use the SMART goal format in order to maximise your chances of success.

Start your own business

Lots of people talk about one day starting their own business, but very few actually muster up the drive and the courage to actually make a go of it. If you’ve had the idea in your head for a while, then why not make 2022 your year? Setting up a company is no mean feat, but as long as you have a good idea and are willing to put in the hard work then there’s no reason you can’t succeed. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a health food company, a legal practice, or a discount clothing store. Do your market research, register your business, and start building your online presence. Find yourself a mentor who can help you with the ins and outs, and before long you’ll see your brand start to grow. Visit stepstostartingabusiness.com for advice and tips for getting off the ground.

Compete in a sporting event

The most commonly-set new year’s resolutions are all to do with fitness and exercise. Go for a walk on a January morning and you’ll see dozens of new runners pounding the streets, all striving to turn their health around for the new year. The gyms are awash with new members and if you’re a personal trainer then it’s probably your favourite time of year. But so many people set themselves vague goals to work out more, lose weight, or get fitter, and it’s no surprise that these resolutions often end in failure. It’s a slippery slope. You skip your morning 5k once and there’s little to stop you missing it next week. It’s only a matter of time before you delete that 6am alarm.

If you are really committed to your fitness goals, the most effective thing you can do is sign up to compete in a sporting event. This could be a 10k run or even a full marathon. It could be a boxing match, a tennis tournament, or climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Whatever it is, the key thing is that you don’t wait. Sign up now and think about the logistics after. Committing yourself in this way gives you a firm target to aim for. You have an end date in sight and you just need to train the requisite fitness and endurance before then. Signing up in advance gives you a financial and psychological incentive not to give up, and the more people you tell about it, the more accountability you have.

Break your screen addiction

Of the three new year’s resolutions outlined in this article, breaking your screen addiction is probably the most difficult one. In this day and age, pretty much everyone has a smartphone. Some people have multiple phones for different uses. Add to that the plethora of tablets, televisions, e-readers, laptops and other devices, then it’s clear to see that screens are everywhere and it’s not so easy to get away from them.

But cutting down your screen time is one of the most significant changes you can make to your life. It will benefit your physical health, your mental wellbeing, and your productivity and social life will skyrocket. The average person spends nearly 4 hours a day on their phone. And while some of this may be for essential tasks like work and shopping, you can’t deny that a lot of that time is spent on unproductive activities like social media and playing games.

Set limits on how much time you can spend on your phone each day. Most modern phones allow you to put timers on certain apps and websites, cutting you off once you’ve reached your limit. You could even take this a step further and delete social media or your gaming apps entirely. By making this change you will have reclaimed a huge amount of time for yourself that you can put towards more productive things like taking an online course, reading a book, or starting up your own business.