Seven tips for using the back-to-school mindset to help you stick to your goals
By Trudy Meehan on
Even if it’s been many years since you were last in school, you might still associate this time of year with that “back-to-school” mindset – that feeling of a page turning, a new phase beginning and the chance to start anew and reinvent yourself.
While you won’t find any research on the “back-to-school mindset” itself, this feeling is very similar to what science calls the “fresh start effect”. This is a boost in motivation for change that comes with a shift from one time in your life to another – called a temporal landmark. The beginning of a new school year, birthdays, anniversaries and even Monday mornings are all temporal landmarks.
Temporal landmarks support our belief that we can reinvent ourselves, acting as a threshold to a new...
12 ways to finally achieve your most elusive goals
By Peter A. Heslin, Lauren A. Keating, Ute-Christine Klehe on
It’s that time of year to muse on what you hope to accomplish over the next 12 months.
The best advice when making resolutions is to set goals that are “SMART” – specific, measurable, achievable, relevant (to you) and time-bound.
Once you’ve set your goals, what can help you achieve them? Based on our research, we’ve distilled 12 goal-enablers. These cover four broad principles you can use to keep yourself on track.
You don’t have to do all 12. Just focusing on the most relevant three to five can make a big difference.