3 Tips for Keeping New Year’s Resolutions
It’s that time of year again: The New Year is a signal of change and practice of making New Year’s resolutions takes over. This time of year is filled with optimism for new beginnings. But, according to Business Insider, about 80% of people drop their resolutions by February. There’s no question that change is difficult, but with the right tools, anyone can improve their chances of keeping New Year’s resolutions.
As we near the end of January, and WANT you to succeed, keep reading for 3 solid tips that will help you keep your resolutions all year long.
1. Set Realistic Goals
Chances are, at some point in your life, you’ve set a lofty goal that sounds impressive, but might not be unattainable. Keeping New Year’s resolutions is challenging enough without adding unrealistic expectations to the mix. When an idea like this comes into your head, take time to think about your goal. Stop and write the resolution down, then ask yourself if it sets you up for success or failure!
The trick is to create resolutions that you can realistically achieve. For example, let’s say that you absolutely love pizza (who doesn’t?!), but you’re trying to cut back to lose weight. Instead of cutting out pizza altogether, try to just reduce the amount of pizza you eat in a week or how many times you order in a month. (Believe it or not, YES! Some people enjoy pizza on a weekly basis…not us, we mean…um…we’ve heard…)
Let’s keep going with this pizza example. Which of the two options is a more realistic goal:
- I’m going for the whole year without eating any pizza.
- I’ll limit pizza to once every two weeks.
(Answer: The second option is much more realistic and will, therefore, be easier to keep it. It is also more delicious than the first)
2. Share Your Goal with Others
Have you ever set a small goal for yourself (such as “I’ll start doing my laundry in 5 minutes”), only to put it aside for later or not even do it at all? Being good at holding yourself accountable is a great skill, but sometimes we need some extra help.
Once you decide on a resolution, share that goal with friends and family. Not only will you receive extra support during those wavering moments, but having a public commitment can empower you to push yourself even further. Below are a few pointers on how to set yourself for success:
- Practice honest communication with your support team.
- Try to regularly check in with friends and family about how your resolution progress is going.
- Help your family and friends with keeping New Year’s resolutions.
3. Track Your Progress
Even when you have kept your resolution for a few months, you could lose track of all the progress you’ve made! Being able to see your progress is a huge motivator to keep moving forward. This study shows that self-monitoring your progress increases the likelihood of keeping New Year’s resolutions.
Once your resolution is set, create a simple spreadsheet to track your progress as time goes on. Keeping organized with a spreadsheet allows you to be more productive while accomplishing your goals. You can also create calendar reminders to log your progress to see how your New Year’s resolution journey is going. Once your progress is organized, keeping track of your goals becomes an easy habit to follow and POOF! Your resolution just became a new lifestyle.
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