New year goals that fit your style

Start with self-discovery, not a list

Many resolutions fail for the same reason: they are written for an imaginary person with endless willpower. Self-discovery means looking honestly at the real one: what you enjoy, what drains you, and what has worked before. A few questions help.

Your answers will often line up with your DISC style. That is no coincidence: the preferences that shape how you work also shape how you change.

• Which goals from last year did I keep, and what made them work?
• Which did I drop, and when?
• Do I prefer one big challenge or small daily habits?
• Do I keep going better on my own or with other people?
• Do I need a detailed plan, or does a plan make me lose interest?

Direct: big goals, fast starts

Direct people love a challenge and a clear finish line. They set ambitious goals and start fast. The risk is setting too many, or losing interest when progress slows in February.

• Set one stretch goal with a deadline and a way to measure it.
• Break it into monthly milestones, so there is always a next finish line.
• Watch for: changing the goal whenever you get bored, or pushing so hard that it stops being enjoyable.

Inspiring: goals with people and fun

Inspiring people are motivated by people, novelty and enjoyment. They start with real enthusiasm. The risk is starting five goals at once and letting them slip when the excitement fades.

• Make it social: a running club, a class or a friend who checks in each week.
• Tell people about your goal. Saying it out loud is motivating for this style.
• Keep it fresh by changing how you work towards the goal, not the goal itself.
• Watch for: signing up for everything in January and nothing by March.

Steady: small habits that last

Steady people do best with gradual change they can build into a routine. Once a habit sticks they tend to keep it for years. The risk is choosing goals for everyone else's benefit, or putting their own goal aside whenever someone else needs something.

• Pick one small habit and attach it to something you already do, such as a walk after supper.
• Choose at least one goal that is just for you.
• Find a steady companion. A friend with the same goal can make all the difference.
• Watch for: dropping your goal the moment someone else asks for your time.

Careful: goals with a plan

Careful people like a well-researched goal and a clear plan, and they track progress well. The risk is planning so thoroughly that starting keeps being postponed, or giving up after one slip because the record is no longer perfect.

• Set a start date and a 'good enough' plan, then improve it as you go.
• Track progress, but allow for missed days. A streak is a tool, not the goal.
• Review monthly rather than daily.
• Watch for: all-or-nothing thinking after a bad week.

A simple goal plan for any style

Whatever your style, a few habits make any goal more likely to last.

• Set one to three goals, no more.
• Write each one as something you will do, not something you will be: 'walk for 30 minutes four times a week', not 'get fitter'.
• Decide what support you need: people, a plan, a challenge or a routine.
• Plan for the dip in February or March, when most goals are dropped.
• Check in at the end of each month and adjust, rather than waiting to start again next January.

Discover your style first

The free DISC Test takes about ten minutes and shows your leading style at work and in your personal life, along with your strengths and the trade-offs that come with them. It is a quick piece of self-discovery to do before you set this year's goals.