First of all, Happy New Year! The New Year is an exciting time. It’s a time to reflect on what worked in the past year and what didn’t. It’s a time to set new goals and re-focus some of your energy. Some will say that resolutions are a waste of time as you should be working to crush your goals every day of the year but who cares. If you start today, tomorrow, next week, if you need it to be January 1 to start, I’m proud of you.
Unfortunately according to research done by the University of Scranton, only 8% of people that make resolutions actually achieve them. How do 92% of people with resolutions lose focus? Let’s not worry about them. Instead we will focus on the 8% that achieve what they set out to do.
1. Write your goals down.
It sounds so simple but having a visible list in as many places possible will help you remember what is important and keep them on top of mind. Physically writing them down can give them power and seeing them daily should help motivate you to complete them.
2. Make your resolutions public.
When you make a goal, no matter what it’s about, it’s really easy to make excuses to not get it done and never have to discuss that failure with anyone. Instead, put yourself on the hook! Post your goals on social media, call a friend and make them your accountability partner, post it in a common area at work, school, or the gym.
3. Ask for help.
Want to make sure you stay accountable or not sure how to accomplish your goal? Ask for help or get a coach. The fact that someone is taking time to help you or you’re actually spending hard earned money to pay them to guide you will increase the likelihood that you’ll complete your goal and stay true to your resolutions.
4. Set a deadline.
If you just say that you’ll complete a task “soon” or “when you have time” you probably won’t actually make the time necessary to do so. A deadline will give you a self-imposed commitment to work on your goal. Feel free to break up your goal into smaller steps too. Example: The end goal might be to lose 10 pounds but smaller deadlines of 1 pound per week will help you manage your goal safely.
So, go ahead, make your New Year’s resolutions. Start today because it’s January 1 or start tomorrow because it’s Monday but either way…. START! Remember these simple tips in 2017 and reap the rewards!
