Whether you’re trying to get healthy, improve productivity at work, or develop a new skill, chances are the new year is motivating you to make a change. Or perhaps it’s reminding you of the all-too-familiar annual cycle of setting — and failing at — your resolutions.
Turns out, we’re pretty bad at sticking to our new year goals, with most of us abandoning our efforts to change before we’ve even taken down the holiday decorations. According to recent research, there is more to successful goal setting than motivation.
Here are a few tips to guide us in making new year resolutions;
Be Purposeful
Don’t make goals arbitrarily. If you don’t want your determination to wane, set goals that align with your values and have personal significance — whether it’s January 1 or not.
Many people forget to look at their own values before goal setting.
Here are some examples:
Value: Strengthening Personal Relationships
Resolution: Set a goal to call a friend or visit a relative at a specific time each week.
Value: Becoming Financially Independent
Resolution: Resolve to increase the percentage of your paycheck that you put aside for retirement each month.
Strategize Well
Not much can happen without a plan. After establishing the right kind of goals based on your values, develop strategies to help you accomplish them.
Know Your Environment
Construct and follow your own regimen, but don’t rely on willpower alone to change your behavior over the long term.Take an If-Then approach to succeeding in your goal. You can’t control every aspect of your environment, but planning ahead for situations that could potentially derail your goals — like avoiding water cooler chit-chat if you’re trying to be more productive at work — can keep you on track.
Start Small and Reward Yourself
Sometimes, the overwhelming stigma of a New Year’s Resolution carries with it the pressure of change. Try working toward small wins before tackling larger goals.
Want to be healthier? Instead of making a goal to hit the gym for an hour every day, start by taking walks three times a week. Once you master this, move toward a bigger goal. Your confidence in establishing a new identity will reinforce your behavior and provide motivation for further change.
Measure Your Progress
Without a figurative (or literal) yardstick to measure your results, your actions will have little meaning.
Keeping conscientious track of your goals also allows you to analyze your values, strategies, and behaviors, and to make adjustments as necessary.