Do you want to set some New Year resolutions you can stick to, and actually stick to?
New Year's resolvers typically report making the same pledge for five years or more before they manage a six-month success, and of those who fail this year, 60 per cent will make the same resolution again next year.
A New Year resolution is a commitment or promise you make to yourself generally around the beginning of the New Year. The timing is a usual suspect for goal setters because we often associate resolutions with fresh starts, i.e. January! So what steps should you take
1. Make only one resolution. Your chances of success are greater when you channel energy into changing just one aspect of your behaviour.
2. Don't wait until New Year's Eve to choose your resolution. Take some time out a few days before and think about what you want to achieve.
3. Avoid previous resolutions. Deciding to revisit a past resolution sets you up for frustration and disappointment.
4. Don't run with the crowd and go with the usual resolutions. Instead think about what you really want out of life.
5. Break your goal into a series of steps, focusing on creating sub-goals that are concrete, measurable and time-based.
6. Tell your friends and family about your goals. You're more likely to get support and want to avoid failure.
7. To stay motivated, make a checklist of how achieving your resolution will help you.
8. Give yourself a small reward whenever you achieve a sub-goal, which will help to motivate you and give you a sense of progress.
9. Make your plans and progress concrete by keeping a handwritten journal, completing a computer spreadsheet or covering a notice board with graphs or pictures.
10. Expect to revert to your old habits from time to time. Treat any failure as a temporary setback rather than a reason to give up altogether.
Leave a comment