How to Keep a New Year’s Resolution

Every year people set resolutions for the New Year. By February, nearly all resolutions have been broken or completely tossed out. Follow these steps to give you the edge you need to meet your resolutions.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Realistic: Consider the reality of the goal. If you plan to undo 25 years of weight gain and poor exercise habits in one year, you will probably fail. Not to say it can’t be done, just that it is unrealistic. Also consider what you have control over. If you set a goal to get a better job or a better pay raise, then you are setting yourself up for failure because there are other elements to consider that are beyond your control. Instead, set a goal to improve your personal work skills and habits and hope for the better job or better raise.
2. Money: What are the financial implications of the goal? Consider and money you may be spending on your goal. Most people already live paycheck to paycheck. Trying to work in the cost of diet supplements or self-help seminars can cause you to fail on the goal. Instead, brainstorm ahead of time so that you can work it in financially. If you can’t work it in, consider adapting or changing the goal to something that is more achievable.
3. Starting Small: Using the “oh so popular” weight loss example again, start small. Doctors recommend losing 1 to 2 pounds per week. So you would think that a goal of 100 pounds in a year is realistic however, weight loss trends beg to differ. It would be better to start with 50 or maybe even a goal to lose 25 and keep it off for the rest of the year.
4. Time: Try not to set too many goals. If you set 15 goals, you are not likely to be able to complete any of them strictly because of the time constraint. Also, consider the amount of time you will have to dedicate on a daily or weekly basis for the goal. If your exercise goal requires 10 hours a week and you don’t have that much time to dedicate to it, you may need to re-evaluate the goal.
5. Keeping the goal: Once you have refined your goals into manageable portions, how do you keep them? The best way is to monitor the progress. Keep weekly progress written in a day planner. If you pre-fill the calendar with reminders at the beginning of the year, it will help you to keep your goals.
6. Sub Goals: Set sub goals. A year is a long time so it’s easy to lose momentum. You will need the encouragement. If your goal is to read at least 20 books in the year, set a sub-goal to read 2 books per month. Then when you meet that sub-goal, you feel rewarded and have the drive to move on toward the bigger goal.