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A lot of people make New Year Resolutions only to forget about them. Here’s the one thing you need to stick to New Year Resolutions.
I don’t make New Year Resolutions. As I’ve explained, they’re more like wishes instead of goals to reach. They don’t make sense to me, and never really have done. Even as a kid, I’d set them because it was the “done thing” and not because I saw a point in them.
As I got older, I understood why I didn’t like setting resolutions each year. Well, more like I realized why they would be forgotten about by so many people.
So, I made a change in what I did. To stick to New Year Resolutions*, I don’t just make a dream or a wish. I create something that has a plan to achieve that goal. My resolutions become goals for the year, and I am allowed to change the goals as I get through the year if things don’t go to plan or go to plan a lot better than I thought they would.
Make a plan to stick to New Year Resolutions
You only need one thing to be able to stick to New Year Resolutions. It’s nothing too big. At least, not to start with.
I like to work with a year’s plan split into four quarters. I don’t tend to find one month gives me a lot of time to see change, but three months does. So, I’ll work with quarters to make sure I achieve the dreams that I have.
However, my goals that I do set need to be SMART ones. They have to be specific and measurable. They need to be achievable and realistic. More importantly, I need to be able to set time limits to reach the goals. It’s no good saying that I want to lose 10lb. When do I want to lose the 10lbs by, and is that achievable?
My plans are always changeable.
Let’s say I do set a goal of losing 10lbs* by the summer. I create a plan to make that goal possible. I’ll look at the food I’m eating and the amount that I go to the gym. I look at the ways that I can change things to make sure I reach that goal. At first, it might be to hit the gym three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. I’ll also track my calories and make sure I eat 500 calories less than I burn so that my body burns the excess.
Great! Well, I find out that I’ve lost 10lbs in three months instead of the six that I initially set. What do I do for the next three months? Am I allowed to fluctuate? Do I keep losing weight? That’s where my plan needs to change.
Or what if I get to three months and realize I’ve only lost 3lbs? I need to boost my efforts for the next three months, so my gym schedule needs to change* and my eating habits need to change. After all, if I stick to what I’m doing, I’ll only lose 6lbs by the summer.
It’s okay to make a change to the plan to achieve your goals.
MORE: Does Slimming World really work?
What do you do to stick to New Year Resolutions? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
