How to Write and Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions
The New Year is around the corner and so are some New Year’s resolutions. But most of us fail to keep up with these new goals. The number one reason we fail to fulfill these resolutions is because they’re boring, or maybe you’re being hard on yourself, or perhaps your goal isn’t that specific. 5-Minute Crafts presents some easy-to-follow tips to help you keep the cliché-motivational stuff away.
1. Be specific about the changes you’d like to make in yourself.
Following resolutions becomes easy when you have specific parameters or tiny achievable goals that add to your bigger picture.
For instance, if your resolution is to save money, you can be specific about it by saving $30 a week by eating out for one less meal. It also keeps you motivated along your journey. And every time you meet such tiny milestones, you get a reason to celebrate.
2. Make a month’s resolution instead of a year’s resolution.
When you set a month’s resolution, you can easily build onto the habit of achieving your tiny milestones mentioned in the point above.
For instance, if you’ve never exercised at all and wish to work out 4 times a week for 60 minutes, then try breaking it down as follows:
First month: Exercise twice a week for 15 minutes a day.
Second month: Exercise thrice a week for 20 minutes a day.
Third month: Exercise thrice a day for 30 minutes a day.
This will help you achieve your bigger goal by working out 4 times a week for 60 minutes.
- Also, don’t wait around for Monday or the first day of the month, begin with the next opportunity.
3. Try a New Year’s theme instead of a New Year’s resolution.
This means that instead of listing random goals to accomplish, choose your resolutions carefully in a way that gives them bigger meaning altogether. In other words, you can select a theme to work on for the entire year.
You can opt for “relationships” as your theme, where you focus on making good friends and having healthy bonds. Or maybe “self-responsibility,” where you take accountability over your decisions regarding health and finances.
The good part about setting a theme is that even if you fail to accomplish a specific goal, you can always find a way to get back on track.
4. Train yourself into developing healthy habits.
Doing things repeatedly builds a habit, and when you don’t, your resolutions could easily fail. That being said, begin small at first, and let the habits develop on their own course.
For instance, if your resolution is to keep everything organized, you don’t begin by keeping things in place. Instead, begin trying to train yourself to always keep things where you found them. Try this method for a few months. Doing things repeatedly will develop a habit.
5. Keep your goals fun.
When you involve fun and lightheartedness in your goals, your brain gets a hit of dopamine. Dopamine triggers the happy system in your brain, which makes your activity rewarding in itself. It also helps you learn better and allows your brain to retain more information.
For instance, you may want to learn French and get a few French books at a great bargain, but you hate reading. Instead, you can make this learning activity fun by discovering a great French YouTuber every month and exploring the language in the most native way.
