We’re deep in February, which is when most New Year’s Resolutions fail. In fact, a study by Strava discovered that the majority will have failed by now.
So, how do you get back on track or stop yourself from being a statistic? Here are some helpful tips to keep your New Year’s Resolutions.
Make sure your goal is something you can actually achieve
In Easily drive your motivation with SMART goals, I discussed how to use SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely) to keep your motivation going. Well, you can use SMART goals for your resolutions too. For example, is it feasible to run a marathon by April if you’re unable to run 5 KM by this moment?
Making sure your goal is something that can be achieved will prevent you from being disappointed further down the line.
Tell other people about your New Year’s Resolutions
Peer pressure can be terrible, but it can also be great too! Telling people in your life, especially those close to you, can be a great way to introduce an aspect of accountability to what you want to achieve. If you want to lose weight, let your family know. Post about it on Facebook.
Have someone do it with you
If you ask around you, I’m sure you’ll find a number of people who would want to achieve the same goal as you. Having some form of buddy system will you encourage each other to keep going!
Keep track of your resolution
Looping back to Easily drive your motivation with SMART goals, having a way of measuring your goal will help you keep track of how you’re doing. If your goal is losing weight, keep track of what your scale says at multiple points throughout the year. Take photos of yourself as a record of your own progress.
Download a project management tool like Trello and use the list features to move your resolution progress throughout. If you’re not sure how to use Trello, check out this great Trello 101 guide!
Pay for what you want to achieve in advance
Not every goal you want to achieve will cost money. But some – for example – the gym, going to more events, participating in a marathon – will. If you’re like me (and God love you) and you’re a tight arse too, then paying for something in advance is a great of making sure you actually go through with it!
Set regular reminders for yourself to check in on how you’re doing
This is something I’ve started actively doing personally. To give an actual example from my own life, one of my resolutions was to write more articles on this very website. So, to achieve this I downloaded an app called Loop Habit Tracker (Download from Google Play – an app called Habit Tracker is also available on the Apple App Store).
The reminder I have set is whether I’ve written at least one article a month. It will pop up twice a month with a Yes/No response. It’s an additional way to keep track of what you’re doing.
And there we go, some helpful tips to keep your resolutions going strong!