Tips for sticking to your resolutions
Is your “new year, new me” momentum fading fast? We’re here to help! We’ve put together a list to help you stick to your New Year’s resolutions this year. Read on…
It’s not too late
The good news is, it’s not too late to choose a New Year’s resolution if you haven’t already. There are still 11 months ahead, and realistically we can make change in our lives at any point in the year. Plus, we’ve already passed Ditch New Year’s Resolution Day, so the pressure is officially off!
To help get you thinking about your resolution or if you want to change up the one you settled on, here’s a list of 10 ideas from Mental Floss that are backed by scientifically-proven ways to succeed. Just remember, setting a resolution is the easy part – it’s sticking to it that can be challenging.
Baby steps
The truth is, sticking to a resolution is tricky for everyone, and according to this Forbes article only 8% of people achieve their goal! But don’t let that get you down. One common mistake is aiming too high, and a great example of that is setting vague or immeasurable goals like “save more money”, which can just seem overwhelming. It’s really about taking baby steps to set yourself up for success.
This article on HuffPost gets into why smaller, less intimidating goals are easier to achieve – albeit a little less exciting. Instead of “save money”, decide to treat yourself to a to-go coffee only once or twice a week (#CoffeeLove). The main thing is, don’t be too hard on yourself if you think your goals should be loftier.
Speaking of baby steps, if getting fit is one of your resolutions check out our article on 4 Workouts You Can do in a Small Space for great ideas to get in shape, one step at a time (and save money on gym memberships, to boot!).
Change the way you think
The New Year may seem like the most natural time to start fresh, but that isn’t necessarily true. You have to be in the right frame of mind before committing to your “better you” – otherwise you’re setting yourself up to fail.
According to this article from Psychology Today, most New Year’s resolutions have something to do with changing existing or making new habits. Whether eating healthy, exercising or spending less time online, to make changes or improvements we need to reset our current habits. We’ve outlined this scientific method of changing or forming a new habit here:
1. Start small. Try ‘take the stairs at work three days a week’ over the general ‘exercise more.’
2. Attach a new action to a previous habit. Think about one of your habits and change something about it. For example, every Friday night you have pizza and movie night. What if you changed that to cauliflower pizza and movie night? Making a small change is doable, and eventually, it will turn into a new habit.
3. Make it easy for the first week. Who says you need to go to the gym for an hour every day? Put your workout clothes out before bed, or plan to go for a 10-minute power-walk every (other) day. Anything you can do to make the first couple of weeks easier will help make your new habit stick.
Set & document S.M.A.R.T. goals
If you’ve ever said “I would give anything to…” this article by YourCoach explains that S.M.A.R.T. goal setting brings structure and trackability into your goals or objectives, making them more real and actionable. It’s worth a read – and you’ll be S.M.A.R.T.er for it!
So, let’s do this! Right now, shut off your technology for a few hours, grab a pen and paper and start reflecting on what you want your resolution (or habit change) to be this year. Make this the year you stick to – and accomplish – your New Year’s resolution. Happy New YOU!