If it feels like your New Year’s resolutions are seldom successful, you’re not alone. By the second week of February, around 80% of people will have given up on these good intentions.1 So whilst it may seem like making a resolution each year is a fool’s errand, it doesn’t have to be. Making smarter goals and taking steps to help boost follow through could be the key to making your New Year’s resolutions stick.
Ways to beat the odds
1. Set a specific goal
Resolutions like “lose weight”, “learn an instrument” or “get a promotion” are often made with the best of intentions. However, they’re probably too broad to work. Without a specific and measurable goal in mind, you can quickly feel overwhelmed or discouraged because the task seems too big.
Instead of making a general resolution, get as specific as you can. If you want to learn an instrument, break that down: Which instrument do you want to play? What song do you want to learn, and how quickly? How many hours a week will you need to practice? You might need to do a bit of research, but this may make it easier to chart your progress.
2. And make sure it’s also realistic.
You’ve made a specific resolution. Now step back and ask yourself if your goal is realistic. For example, it’s probably not safe or possible to lose 10 kilos in a month, but you may be able to do it by mid-year.
Setting an unrealistic goal could set you up for disappointment if you’re unable to keep pace. Instead, be truthful with yourself about your goals and abilities. Best case scenario is that you meet your goals early and can move on to the next challenge!
3. Change one thing at a time
Even a specific New Year’s resolution can take many steps to complete. Take losing weight, one of the most popular resolutions people make. You might need to exercise several times a week, stop eating processed foods, and cut back on alcohol to reach your goal. But, if you try to do all of these things at once, it might make the whole thing feel too hard.
Instead of completely turning your life upside down all at once, just make one small change at a time. Once you’ve mastered that, tackle something else. Small changes can build into bigger ones over time and hopefully make getting to the finish line easier!
4. Find out what motivates you
We’re often excited to start our resolutions, ready to face the New Year on the right foot. But as time goes on, it can be harder to stay upbeat (especially if progress is slow). Knowing what motivates you could help your resolve as the year marches on.
Whether it’s a shopping spree, a weekend holiday or a meal at your favourite restaurant, a reward for your hard work could make it easier to stay focused. Pick something that you want and make it the prize for accomplishing your resolution. You could also choose smaller rewards for when you reach big milestones (such as exercising every day for a month) to help motivate you.
5. Make a resolution friend
Some people are great at self-motivation, but many of us need an outside nudge to help keep us on track. Enlisting a friend to join you in your resolutions could give you the extra motivation you need to keep going!
Your resolution friend can be anyone—your partner, coworker, child, neighbour—who is happy to give you whatever support you need to accomplish your goals. They can become your exercise buddy, listen in on piano practice, or just give a pep talk whenever you need one! Of course, it’s always nice to return the favour if they need some help with their own resolutions.
6. Ask for help
Family and friends can be a great support network, but you might need a bit of professional help to see things through. A certified expert could provide insight, feedback and positive motivation to help you achieve your goal.
If your resolution is to lose 10 kilos, you might ask a nutritionist to create a meal plan, a personal trainer to supervise workouts and your GP to help track your progress. These people will have expert knowledge to set you up for success—and make sure you stay healthy as you move towards your overall goal!
7. Don’t get discouraged
As we said at the beginning, most New Year’s resolutions are forgotten by February. Change can be hard, and even the most dedicated of us can slip up. But missing a day of practice or saying yes to a yummy dessert don’t have to be reasons to completely give up on your resolution.
Instead, try to view these “mistakes” as a chance to start over—but this time with more knowledge and experience to get things right tomorrow! Even if you’re making a new start each month, it will hopefully get easier to follow through each time you begin.
Happy New Year!
Making a resolution could be the start of a happier, healthier or more fun new year. With some hard work, support and these tips, this year could be even better than the last.
1. Business Insider, 80% of New Year's resolutions fail by February — here's how to keep yours. January 2017
About Author: Momentum Life is a leading provider of Life insurance and Funeral insurance in New Zealand.
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