Setting Realistic and Achievable New Year’s Resolutions

As the new year begins, it’s the perfect time to reflect on your past and prepare for your future. New Year’s Resolutions get a bad reputation with 43% of people giving up on their goals after one month. With this post, we will help you navigate the challenges and create goals that are realistic, attainable and will ultimately lead to a better you.

Create Specific, Measurable Goals

To succeed in achieving your goals, you need to clearly define them and make them easy to measure. This will hold you accountable. For example, instead of saying ‘I want to get in shape,’ alter it to be ‘I want to exercise 3 times a week’. This way, you can create criteria to track your progress and break them down into smaller, more manageable goals.

It is also smart to prioritize your resolutions based on their importance to you and their feasibility. Choose 1 or 2 goals and work on those as opposed to having too many going at once. Also, create goals for different areas of your life. These areas could be work, finance, hobbies, relationships, health and wellness and more. Having your goals span across all aspects of your life will help you feel more fulfilled. The less overwhelmed you are, the more likely you are to succeed.

Consider Your Lifestyle and Make Realistic Timelines

Everyone lives life differently, so create goals that best align with yours. Your resolutions should align with your lifestyle and daily tasks, setting you up to take the time and complete them. If you sit at a desk for work and your resolution is to be more active, take a walk during your lunch break. With your resolutions, be flexible and realistic. Things change and unforeseen circumstances occur, so adjust and modify your goals accordingly. Also, significant changes take time so practice patience and prepare your timeline accordingly.

Celebrate The Little Wins

It’s important to feel like you’re making progress, so celebrate the small victories. Go for a night out, eat a sweet treat or buy yourself something nice. All these things will act as motivation and keep you focussed on your goals.

Stay Motivated

Remember: everyone is different. It may take more or less time to achieve your goals compared to your friends and family, but you will accomplish them if you stick to it. Resolutions are not an all-or-nothing idea, so allow yourself some wiggle room. If you’re saving money, you can go shopping occasionally. However, don’t go overboard. If you do, take these setbacks as a lesson. See them as opportunities to learn instead of failures. Shifting your mindset will help you long-term.

Remind yourself every day to work towards your goals. Write them down and post them somewhere where you’ll see them constantly – like in your bathroom, nightstand or mirror. Alternatively, make it your lock screen on your phone. This constant reminder will push you. Also, if it’s an applicable task and you’re comfortable doing so, take progress photos. These will help illustrate your transformations.