In love, life and work it seems to me that it is often the simple things that carry the most truth and capacity for change. Take SMART Goals for instance, a relatively simple management principle that has been talked about ad nauseum, has had many iterations, and yet really works as a framework for setting meaningful goals. A meaningful goal can be defined as a goal that is likely to be achieved. So what’s SMART?

• Specific
• Measurable
• Agreed To
• Realistic
• Time Dependant

With this management 101 proverb dusted off let’s talk New Year’s resolutions. Like Christmas wish lists, and blogs in general, New Year’s resolutions are often looked down upon as frivolous – But I say this is not so! Having a list of things you want to accomplish, cast using the SMART Goals principle, might just help you be more accomplished, and what’s frivolous about that? Here’s mine for the new year – what’s yours?

• Join the Victoria Writers society in January
• Attend Word Camp in January
• Distribute 100 Exploring-Art.com business cards before the end of the year
• Starting immediately personalize every Exploring-Art.com “publicize” tweet
• Rewrite and resubmit my Fine Arts Diploma Program (FADP) learning plan by Monday (tomorrow, gasp!)
• Complete my 4th course in my Fine Arts Diploma Program by April
• Complete my 5th course in my Fine Arts Diploma Program by December
• Complete a writing portfolio submission for the UVic MFA in creative writing by December
• Get published somewhere other than Exploring-Art.com this year
• Get my taxes up to date by April
• Buy my wife a romantic gift every month (flowers, champagne etc.)
• And the obligatory – lose 10 pounds!… by… September
• Lastly report out on my resolutions progress at year end.

What are your resolutions? Create a list of SMART resolutions and share them here!