So many people set New Years resolutions and have such good intentions, but so few actually accomplish their goals. Up to 45% will quit just a few weeks in and will forget about things until next January. A lot of the problems come in from a lack of experimentation, a lack of checking in and a lack of prioritization.
I’ve complied this list of tips to ensure that the New Years goal you set is something that you’ll actually be able to accomplish and feel great about this year.
Figure out what’s going to work for you
Experiment, experiment, experiment. I first heard about this important piece of goal setting through Ramit Sethi (who if you haven’t checked out yet, I’d definitely recommend it!). His big push is to try something for a week or so, see how it turns out, then try something else for the next week. Then, once you’ve figured out what’s going to work best for you between the two (or more if you need), do that!
For the longest time, I believed I was a “work out in the evening” kind of girl. I was able to work things up over the day and get pumped up and ready to go, and it was a great stress reliever for me. Lately however, this has really stopped working. Adjusting my schedule so that it’s one of the first things I do in the morning has made a huge difference for me completing my goal and getting it done before my brain can argue with itself and I’ve run out of time in the day. You need to figure out when the best time for you to work on your goal is, and stick to it! Share on X
Schedule it in regularly
If you don’t make time for it (and realistic time at that) you’re setting yourself up to fail before you even get started. Not only do you need to make sure you’ve figured out when is the best time for you to work on it, but you also need to make sure it’s an up there priority on your list of things to do. If it ends up at the end of a huge list it’s probably not going to get done.
Once you’ve mastered the best time of day to get it done, put it in your calendar! Make sure it’s a time when you’re going to be able to do it and that you aren’t willy-nilly scheduling things in during that slot when you’re supposed to be batch cooking or getting to the gym.
Check in periodically to update as needed
As I mentioned above with my exercise schedule, something might work for you for a while, but if it stops working or you notice that you’re missing stuff on a regular basis, it’s time to reassess! Figure out what isn’t working and experiment to find other options that will work better for you.
It’s also REALLY important that you periodically reassess the goal itself. You may realize you were a bit over zealous about the original goal, or maybe you’ve met your goal and need to set a new one to get to. This will help keep you motivated and on track to getting things done for the timeline you’ve set out to accomplish it.
Don’t quit if you fail
Nobody is perfect, and likely if you’ve chosen “______” as your one of your New Years resolutions, its probably been on your to-do list for a while. We’re all going to have days where we don’t eat healthy, or don’t make it to the gym for our workout, or whatever you’re trying to accomplish, but even if this happens, that’s okay!
DON’T GIVE UP!!
Don’t freak out, dust yourself off and move on. Just consider missing or messing up a bit of a reset and get on with your life! Many of us are very judgemental and unforgiving of ourselves, but we’d never treat others that way. Be gentle with yourself, know you're giving it your all, and don't quit if you slip up. Share on X Tomorrow is, after all, a new day.
Set realistic goals
If you’ve never even been outside for a jog before, planning to do a marathon in 6 weeks isn’t a great idea. Nor is aiming to eat healthy on a daily basis if you’ve already got that accomplished.
You want to make sure you pick a goal that’s going to be challenging enough to give you a distance to go, but not so challenging that you either hurt yourself or give up because it’s so far away.
If you do have a really big goal though, break it down into mini goals to work towards to keep you motivated throughout the process. Rather than running that marathon above, maybe you join a running group to learn to run your first 5Km, or you work on eating home cooked lunches at work 3x/week.
Doing this will make sure that you’ve set yourself up for success and lead you down a positive path.
Are There Goals You’re Struggling With?
If there are health or wellness goals you’re struggling with, let me know! Definitely check in with me for a follow up with you’re a current patient and we can reassess things together and get you on a great track. If you’re new to our clinic, book in for a free 15-minute consultation and we can chat more about your concerns and what things might look like if we were to work together.
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