Tips to make your New Year’s resolution stick
December 18, 2016
- Create a detailed plan
- You may know your overall goal for the new year, but understanding exactly how you will accomplish it is extremely helpful. A New Year’s resolution cannot be achieved in one day. Think about how you can work on your resolution each day and decide on the steps needed to get closer to realizing that goal. While every step may seem minor, each one is critical to reaching the end game.
- Write it down where you can see it
- Making a plan will help you see what you need to do, but has no use if you cannot remember it. Research from the Dominican University of California shows that when people write down their goal on a piece of paper, they are significantly more likely to fulfill it. You must then put it somewhere you will see daily, as a constant reminder to stay focused on your resolution.
- Plan it with a friend
- Share your goals with a friend or family member. This helps to motivate you and push you towards the finish line. Having someone to share your struggles and triumphs with makes the journey more enjoyable and encouraging. It is also easy to forget about your goal; having a partner to continuously inspire you can be a great strategy.
- Be specific and choose only one
- While you may have a whole list of New Year’s resolutions for 2017, start with choosing one. Having one specific goal for the New Year is more realistic and easier to achieve. Put all of your energy into one goal because you may spread yourself too thinly by trying to accomplish more than one. After reaching that first goal, then go for another!
- Make resolutions reasonable
- In order to reach your New Year’s resolutions, they must be attainable within one year. When you think about your resolutions, you should consider how important each one is and exactly how you will be able to complete it. If you use the previous steps to help plan, you will likely accomplish your goals.