First of all, why is it important to have New Year’s resolutions? There’s always something for everyone to improve on. So, New Year’s resolutions can motivate people to become better versions of themselves. Besides, the hype is always real at the beginning of the new year!
Unfortunately, accomplishing those resolutions is easier said than done. Only 12 percent of people feel that they were successful in achieving their New Year’s resolutions, according to Verywell Mind.
Why Do People Make New Year’s Resolutions?
Before we dive deep into how to achieve your New Year’s Resolutions, let’s talk about why people make them in the first place. First of all, people think of the new year as a fresh start. It’s like the beginning of a new school year and a new chapter in their life.
That’s why people enjoy getting a new haircut at the start of a new school year because it represents their “new self.” People are more motivated to do something at the start of the new year because it’s the beginning of a new chapter in their lives.
Unfortunately, for most people, the hype only lasts until March, and many give up their New Year’s resolutions by that point, according to a previous source.
It doesn’t have to be that way, though, and with the following tips, you can learn how to make and keep your New Year’s resolutions like a pro!
Start With a Positive Mindset
Having a positive mindset can empower you to start the off day right. Sometimes, it’s necessary to look in the mirror and say, “I’ve got this!” It’s hard to accomplish a goal without having the confidence to do so. Even if there are minor setbacks along the way, remember that every day is a fresh start.
Set a Specific Goal For Yourself
Setting a specific goal gives you a clear picture of what you want to achieve. A goal can’t just be ‘to lose weight.’ You need to know how many pounds you want to lose and in what time interval. Also, goals have to be realistic so that you won’t put too much pressure on yourself to achieve such a drastic goal.
Focus on One Resolution
One of the simplest tips in learning how to make and keep your New Year’s resolutions is just sticking to one resolution. You will be able to use your energy for that one specific goal and give it your all. Having multiple resolutions for the new year can feel overwhelming, and you won’t put in enough attention for each goal because you’re trying to do multiple things at the same time.
Have a Plan to Achieve Your Resolution
You need to plan the steps to achieve your goal to avoid jumping in empty-handed. Let’s use the ‘lose weight goal’ from the second tip as an example. Say you want to lose two pounds per month. You can write down what changes you’ll make to your diet, how many days you plan to exercise per week, the length of your workout routine, the time you plan to work out, and the obstacles you may face along the way.
This past year, I decided that I wanted to exercise more. I tried doing it every day of the week early in the morning, but I didn’t like having to eat my breakfast so late in the morning after I’ve exercised and showered. I tried exercising every day in the evening, but I found it stressful exercising every day of the week.
So, I decided to work out three days a week (four if you count going grocery shopping with my mom), where my workouts start around 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., and they’d last for 35 minutes. I struggled to figure out what I wanted to do for my workouts until I came across a dance workout YouTube channel called emkfit midway through the year. I felt so unmotivated doing planks, burpees, and ab exercises, but with the dance workouts, I started to have fun while exercising. Three days a week is manageable as well.
Start With Incremental Changes
Changing old habits takes time. However, if you start with small incremental changes, you can work your way up to a point where it becomes part of your new routine.
Say your goal is to go to bed earlier. If you usually go to bed at 1:00 a.m., you can start by going to bed at 12:30 a.m. for a week. Then the following week, you can try going to bed at 12:00 a.m.
Everyone’s body needs time to adjust to the new sleep schedule, so if you work in increments, eventually, your body will get the hang of the new bedtime.
Don’t Let One Obstacle Hold You Back
Change doesn’t happen overnight; it takes time! Similar to the previous step, changing old habits takes time, and you can’t just give up easily after one setback. If you miss a couple of days of working out, you should figure out what went wrong and apply the lessons learned to the path towards achieving your goals.
Having setbacks can motivate you to achieve your goals and re-strategize how to achieve your desired results. Most successful resolvers slip up during January, but 71 percent of successful resolvers say that their first setback made them more aware of their problem’s severity. Consequently, according to CNN Health, they refine their plans of achieving their desired goal.
Find a Support Group
Whether that’d be a Facebook group, friends, or family members, you should find a support group that will keep you on the right track! Telling your New Year’s resolution to a family member is like making a statement that they will hold you accountable for. According to The New York Times, family members may be the ones to cheer you on as you work towards your goal.
Don’t Be So Hard on Yourself
Don’t beat yourself up over it if you fail at your first (or third) New Year’s resolution attempt. Instead of dwelling on what you can’t change, you should focus on what you can change!
You can start over and give your New Year’s resolution another go. You don’t even have to wait until the following year. You can plan the next step, learn from your mistakes, and begin again the next day/month or any specific day you want!
What’s Your New Year’s Resolution?
My goal for the new year is to cut back on my time spent on YouTube. So, when I have some free time to go on YouTube, I plan to set a timer on my phone for an hour if I plan to watch some videos. If a video is over an hour, I’ll just watch that one video. Sometimes, I watch YouTube when I eat my meals, so another way to cut back my YouTube time is to not go on my laptop when I eat.
There’s no such thing as a perfect guideline on how to make and keep your New Year’s resolutions. But, hopefully, the following tips will make things a little bit easier for the years to come.