It’s that time of year again. Whether it’s losing weight, eating healthier, getting a grip on your finances, or just sorting out the house we’re all doing it, making New Year resolutions.
We start with gusto and good intentions on January the 1st or 2nd as the 1st is a Bank Holiday ha ha… The first week goes amazingly the second goes well but by the third we’re waning and by the end of January we’ve all but forgotten what we started. Some of us manage get to the middle of February but then it all goes to pot as we’ve taken a well-deserved winter holiday because we need some sun and as we’re on holiday we should enjoy ourselves as it is all-inclusive.
To help us all along and hopefully reach our goal here’s some tips on how to keep our New Year’s resolutions.
Be realistic with your goals
The Independent newspaper says “You need to begin by making resolutions that you can keep and that are practical. If you want to reduce your alcohol intake because you tend to drink alcohol every day, don’t immediately go teetotal. Try to cut out alcohol every other day or have a drink once every three days. Also, breaking up the longer-term goal into more manageable short-term goals can be beneficial and more rewarding. The same principle can be applied to exercise or eating more healthily.”
Most of us what to change more than one thing but that can cause us to panic and give up because it seems an impossible task. In the same article The Independent tells us to
“Do one thing at a time. One of the easiest routes to failure is to have too many resolutions. If you want to be fitter and healthier, do just one thing at a time. Give up drinking. Give up smoking. Join a gym. Eat more healthily. But don’t do them all at once, just choose one and do your best to stick to it. Once you have got one thing under your control, you can begin a second resolution.”
Many of us have the same resolutions every year, such as losing weight, and we fail every year. One of Verywell.com’s tips is to
“Avoid Repeating Past Failures
Another strategy for keeping your New Year\’s Resolution is to not make the exact same resolution year after year. \”If people think they can do it they probably can, but if they\’ve already tried and failed, their self-belief will be low,\” explained Wiseman in an interview with The Guardian.
If you do choose to reach for the same goals you\’ve tried for in the past, spend some time evaluating your previous results. Which strategies were the most effective? Which were the least effective? What has prevented you from keeping your resolution in past years? By changing your approach, you will be more likely to see real results this year.”
So, with a little planning and effort it is possible to stick with and succeed in our New Year’s resolutions.
