Updated 4 January 2021: Setting goals for the year ahead can be tricky at the best of times – let alone in the middle of a global pandemic.

While some people may prefer not to make plans and resolutions as a result, for others the idea of starting a new year with a fresh set of goals remains appealing.

However, even if you decide to set goals, there’s a big difference between setting those targets and actually achieving them – especially if those goals aren’t realistic in the first place. Indeed, setting ourselves big goals like “get promoted” or “save money” may seem tempting as we enter a new year, but when we fail to break those large-scale ambitions down into smaller, achievable steps, we set ourselves up for failure.

2021 goals: how to set – and actually achieve – your goals this year, according to a psychotherapist