Resolutions, Goals, and Priorities

What is the difference between resolutions and goals?
In my opinion, resolutions can be goals, but are usually not as clearly defined and often lacking an action plan. Without defining your goals and action plan, the resolution gets lost in your everyday life.

Goals
I have talked about SMART goals before. The SMART represents criteria to help define a clear goal:
Specific
Measurable
Actionable
Realistic
Time-Based

Once you define a goal that follows these criteria, you develop an action plan to support it. By breaking it down into small steps, you can steadfastly work towards achieving the larger goal.

During January, I followed a 30-day challenge for goal setting, by Chalene Johnson. The key takeaways I had from that experience are helping me build habits for consistent goal setting and progress.
1. Keep your key goal listed in an area that you will see it frequently (at the top of your to do list, on your screen saver, etc).
2. In addition to an overall to do list, keep a "Due Today" list of things that MUST get done. The list should include several small things from your Key Goal action plan. By keeping it short and simple, you should be consistently checking things off the list and feeling accomplished. By having a daily list, it forces you to review and re prioritize it every day, so it is top of mind.

To try it yourself, check out the free 30-day program at http://www.30daypush.com

Priorities
Theses are habits (creating and reviewing goals regularly and keeping to do lists), but there are still a limited number of hours to get things done in a day. Another new habit I am trying to maintain is doing the most important and impactful things first. I often get sucked into the mindset that I have to do everything ...and I have to do it well.
I have to keep reminding myself that i can not do everything, and there are some tasks that will not get much notice, regardless of the time I spend on them. I should be focusing on tasks that provide the greatest impact and benefit. If I want to be noticed at my job, I need to focus my energy on the projects that are the most visible or save the most money. I can not attend every meeting and get all my work done. I have to learn to say no. At home, I should spend time focused on my family, rather than trying to multitask too much.

It is not too late to start setting goals for the year and creating new habits. Don't we all want to make this year better than the last?