The New Year brings with it a sense of optimism, fresh starts, and a wave of motivation – New Year, New You! But now it’s the middle of January. Be honest, how many of us are still on top of our New Year’s resolutions?
I made the resolution that I would work on my self-care routines – I’m good at jumping into work, and not so good at switching off. Am I getting anywhere with my resolution? Ask me again in March…
We all know, some of us too well, keeping those resolutions can feel like an uphill battle. By February, the gym visits have dwindled, the journaling habit feels less exciting, and that goal of eating healthier? Always hard to do when you find them forgotten about, left over Christmas chocolates in the cupboard.
So why does this happen, and how can we break the cycle? Let’s have a look
Why We Make Resolutions
The Fresh Start Effect
A New Year symbolises a clean slate – the perfect time to reset and refocus! Milestone dates —whether it’s the first day of the year, a birthday, or the start of a new month— can boost motivation by tapping into our natural inclination to view these moments as new beginnings.
Optimism and Self-Improvement
The New Year often encourages to reflect on the past year, and in turn, ways to improve and grow. This sense of optimism motivates us to commit to new habits or drop old ones.
Social Influences
Resolutions often come up as a conversation starter with friends, family, and acquaintances. Therefore, it’s natural for the social buzz of these conversations to act as motivation to create our own, as to not be left out of the conversation! Whether it’s sharing goals with friends, participating in challenges, or simply engaging in the conversational buzz around New Year’s resolutions, the collective excitement inspires us to set our own goals.
Why we struggle to maintain resolutions
- Unrealistic Goals – Too much, too quick
It’s good to set ambitious goals, but setting goals that are too ambitious towards unrealistic can lead to frustration and ultimately burnout. If your goal is deciding to run five miles every morning having never run before will probably feel overwhelming and too much, too soon which is unsustainable, lowering confidence along the way.
- Ambiguous Goals – what are you actually trying to do?
Vague resolutions like “get fit” or “be more productive” don’t help anyone. Simple and ambiguous resolutions lack clarity and the lack of success markers mean there is little way of measuring your progress. Just how are you being more productive? Are you actually getting fit? Without clear markers for success, it’s easy to lose focus.
- Lack of a Plan
Even the most well-meaning resolutions can’t thrive without a clear, concrete plan behind it. For example, deciding to “eat healthier” without planning meals or buying nutritious food leaves too much to chance. Similar to having too ambitious goals, simply saying “be more productive” is simple. Break it down – just how are you going be more productive?
- All-or-Nothing Thinking
How often have you thought that one transgression from your resolution is bad and should never be contemplated? Skipping one workout – failure. Indulging in dessert – what are you thinking?! All or nothing thinking can feel like failure, leading to decreased motivation and even abandoning their goals altogether!
Tips to Make Resolutions Stick
So, how can you turn your well-intentioned resolutions into lasting habits?
SMART Goals
SMART goals aren’t the be all and end all of how you set goals, but they’re a start. Ensure your resolutions are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Instead of saying, “I want to exercise more,” try, “I’ll attend three fitness classes per week for the next month.” This helps improve clarity and makes it easier to track progress, in turn helping you stay motivated. To improve on the quality of goals that you set, try focussing on the process and progress towards an outcome, rather than the outcome itself. For example, “improve the width of my kick in my breast stroke to get faster” as opposed to “win the 100m breaststroke event”. Both goals are based around success, but the process goal is based in improving technique towards an outcome, while an outcome goal is based solely on success or failure of said outcome.
Break Goals into Smaller Steps
Never be afraid to break larger, more daunting goals, into smaller and more actionable steps. Large goals can feel daunting, so doing this can make what we set out to do more manageable. For instance, if your resolution is to write a book, start with a goal to write 500 words a day. Celebrate the small wins to build momentum – it’s about progression afterall.
Use Habit Stacking
Recently, habit stacking has gone viral on TikTok, but it has been a tried-and-tested method for decades. For the uninitiated, habit stacking involves piggy-backing a new habit onto a well-entrenched one. For example, if you want to start practicing mindfulness daily, do it right after brushing your teeth in the morning. This method uses current routines to support the integration of new behaviours.
Build Accountability
Write down your resolutions and keep them in a place that is visible to you and others. Share your resolutions with someone you trust who will help push you towards maintaining resolutions. Set resolutions with others in your friendship group, club, or colleagues who will keep you on track collectively. There are many ways that you can increase accountability, which can help boost motivation and help you stay on track.
Be Flexible and Kind to Yourself
Setbacks are part of the process. If you miss a day or slip up, it’s not an instant failure but rather a learning opportunity. Good goal setters allow room for flexibility and adjust plans to move forwards despite setbacks.
In Summary…
The beauty of resolutions lies in their ability to inspire change. By understanding how we think about them and the thinking behind them, we can begin to apply methods to help us maintain resolutions towards becoming habits. Strategies like setting better and specific goals, habit stacking, and building accountability, can create resolutions that stick. Progress is more important than perfection, as no matter how hard we strive to be it, we may never reach that perfect way of thinking, feeling, and behaving. Every small step you take brings you closer to a better version of yourself. Here’s to a successful and fulfilling New Year!
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