10 Foolproof Tips to Stick to Your New Year’s Resolution

Making change happen is never easy. It requires us to consciously break a habit or pattern we have developed over the years. In fact, a study shows that despite the many millions who start the year with a list of optimistic resolutions, only 46% of people felt as if they had been successful with their endeavour after six months. These resolutions range from losing weight, making better financial decisions, and drastically altering one’s lifestyle.

Yes, sticking to your resolutions is hard, but you can increase your chances of success by changing how you make your resolutions. Get a headstart for the next year by following our practical guide below. It is time to make resolutions you will actually stick to.

Tips on How to Stick To Your New Year’s Resolution

1. Keep it S.M.A.R.T.

Always remember that a resolution is a goal. So, just like any goal, it can be streamlined using the S.M.A.R.T. criteria. This way, you can make sound judgement and ensure that your resolution is achievable.

Below is a criterion you can use:

Specific

There’s nothing worse than a vague resolution. You need specific goals if you hope to see actual results. Instead of saying you want to lose 10 kilograms in six months, it would be more achievable to say you’ll stop eating junk food for two months. The more specific your resolutions, the easier they are to track.

Measurable

It’s necessary to have measurable goals so you’ll be able to track your progress. If you can see how much you are improving, you’ll be more inclined to continue and less likely to quit.

Achievable

Go easy on yourself. You’re only as good as your physical and mental well-being. Know your capacities and your limitations. Setting impossible resolutions will not do you any good, especially since it might demotivate you in the future.

Relevant

How necessary is this goal to you? Does it need to happen right away? Evaluate the degree of importance of your resolution so you can focus on it better. By knowing the relevance of your resolution to your current lifestyle or the lifestyle you want to achieve, the parameters you will set up will have more weight.

Time-bound

After escaping the dangers of vague goals, you will have specific steps that can be outlined to a target date. Having a timeline will inspire more determination; you will even have something tangible to chart your progress.

2. Manage your expectations

Don’t beat yourself up too much if you fall off the wagon every now and then. But don’t make it a habit, either. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. Go into it with the right mindset. If you expect not to fail, you’ll get disheartened more easily. Most smokers make several attempts to quit before they succeed, and even then, keeping the addiction at bay is a lifelong challenge. Behavioural change takes persistent effort and determination. It doesn’t happen overnight.

3. Track your progress

Results are a key motivation to keep going. If you see that you have lost two kilograms after a month of weekly cardio workouts at the gym and staying off junk food, you will be more likely to keep up your efforts. On the other hand, if you see negative results (e.g. weight gain, increase in smoking rather than a decrease), it tells you that your current plan is not working and that you need to try a different approach. Whatever the case, without a measurement system in place, you won’t know whether you’re progressing or going off course.

4. Be patient

Whether it’s losing weight, quitting smoking, or improving your financial situation, remember that it takes time to effect change. There are no quick fixes, as much as marketers try to sell us their instant fat-loss supplements, pain-free fitness products and become-a-millionaire-overnight gimmicks. Aim to make lasting lifestyle changes one step at a time. Be patient with yourself.

5. Anticipate your “trigger points”

If you want to stay off junk food, don’t go shopping when you’re hungry. That’s when you’re most vulnerable and your defences are at their weakest. Remove the temptation by planning your grocery shopping trips in advance. Likewise, if you know staying up late will weaken your resolve to hit the gym the next day, make it a point to get a good night’s rest. Anticipate those trigger points and take the initiative to avoid them.

6. Have someone to be accountable to

Whether it’s a good friend, your partner, or a trusted colleague, tell someone about your resolution(s) and make sure you can trust them to keep you accountable. The person should be firm enough to get you back on track when you start losing your resolve while encouraging enough to motivate you when you progress. You’ll think twice about having that sneaky cigarette if you know you’ll get told off for it later.

7. Go digital

There are many applications out there that offer organisation help and formulation of new habits. Mental health apps are also a trend that you can use to your advantage. Apps that help you navigate negative mindsets are also available so you can make decisions with a sound mind.

Aside from different phone applications, you can also make your resolutions public. You can post them on Facebook, tweet them, or make stories of them on Instagram. Human beings are naturally social, and making such a public statement will further encourage you to pull through.

8. Start a reward system

It’s important to note that starting a resolution will always be challenging. Most of your resolutions will require a drastic impact on what you have grown used to, even if they will provide you with a healthier way of living. Starting a reward system is not only to motivate you but also to reward yourself for going through such a big change.

It’s crucial to celebrate even small victories. Of course, you will not reward yourself with something detrimental to your resolution. Instead, you can do something similar to this: if you have successfully hit all of your deadlines, reward yourself with a small treat, like an expensive box of chocolates or even a night out.

9. Avoid repeating failures

Have you been making the same new year’s resolutions year after year? And have they all failed, or have you simply forgotten about them? Try to be more inventive this time around. Work your way around your old goal in a way that you include something new so you will have a chance of getting different but favourable results. Even something as minor as changing your resolution’s timeline can be a good thing.

10. Be kind to yourself

If you keep failing to uphold your resolutions, instead of feeling dejected, treat them as opportunities to improve. Being harsh on yourself won’t do you any good and will prevent you from achieving your goals in the future. Whether it’s a resolution that will optimise your work productivity or improve your current lifestyle, remember that everything is a process. Thus, it takes time before it can be realised.

If one of your resolutions is to have a more formidable career, then we’re here to help.

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