How many of us have woken up on New Year’s Day with that exact attitude. We start out strong in the first couple of months, but then as the months pass we start to fall off the wagon. The excitement of the new year dies down, and we slowly go back to our old habits. The thing is, many people don’t follow their resolutions through because the goals were difficult or unrealistic to begin with. It’s not wrong to shoot for the stars, but you don’t want to set yourself up for disappointed, and put unnecessary pressure on yourself. That’s no way to start your year. Remember, a resolution is meant to motivate you and not cause stress.
New Year. New Me.
So, in lieu of 2023 coming to an end, we’ve rounded up our top 10 tips to help you write a resolution you can stick to.
1| Don’t be discouraged.
An obvious one, but your mindset is everything. You don’t have to write a resolution, you want to. Resolutions are a great way to set goals for yourself and start the year fresh. There’s something incredibly motivating about writing things down you wish to achieve or accomplish.
2| Start out small
Because we’re creatures of habit, it can be hard to start something new. So it’s important that you don’t overwhelm yourself. Make sure you start out small. Change doesn’t happen over night. Don’t expect to go big or go home from the very first day. Instead, set and manage your expectations.
3| Make it specific
It’s all in the details. If you write down general goals you’re less likely to commit to them, because they’re open-ended. Jotting down something specific will make it easier for you to stick to your resolution because you know exactly what you need to do. Add in the What and the How. Try to incorporate a few lifestyle changes you’ll be adopting to achieve your goals and avoid being vague.
4| Share your goals with someone
Find yourself a good support system that would motivate you throughout the process. Having a partner will help keep you on track.
5| Write them down
Go old-school and write, write, write. Writing things down can help us internalize things which will help you take your resolutions more seriously. Even if you know what you want to change, write it down. Make it official.
6| Be realistic
Don’t overhaul your life. Yes, the new year is the perfect time to make changes but it’s important to be realistic so that you don’t set yourself up for disappointment. Set goals you KNOW you can achieve. Taking on too much at the same time is a recipe for disaster.
7| Prioritize
If you have multiple goals, then it’s important to prioritize them. Resolutions aren’t about big changes happening all at once. That’s unsustainable and is bound to fail. Instead, prioritize your goals and start out with the more important ones first. That way, the more you accomplish, the more you’ll be motivated to take on the next goal.
8| Set Time Frames
It’s harder to stick to a goal when you have no time-frame. A year can be a long time, and sometimes, yearly resolutions can feel demotivating because there’s no urgency. So yes you have goals for the year, but it can help to set monthly goals or plans to achieve those goals. So for example, if you plan on losing weight, don’t just write down “weight loss”. Instead, write down how many kilos you want to shave off and estimate how many per month. This will keep you motivated and help you measure your progress. This way, you’ll be able to see the finish line instead of feeling like it’s so far away.
9| Make sure it’s relevant to YOU
This may sound like a no-brainer but often subconsciously we tend to write resolutions that are generic, or what we think we need to change. If you don’t like the gym and know it’s not for you, then don’t a gym sign-up to your list unless you’re sure this is what you want. It’s a well known fact that gym sign ups soar in January before dropping dramatically around March.
10| Don’t be afraid to readjust
Resolutions are not set in stone. Sometimes as we start the journey, we realize we need to tweak our goals a little bit. Maybe the time frame you’ve given yourself needs to be adjusted, or maybe you’re starting to feel overwhelmed and want to lessen your load. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with going back and making a few minor changes to accommodate your lifestyle.
