Sticking to Your New Year’s Resolution

It’s that time of year again. The clock strikes 12, and we get a clean slate. It’s the time of year when you feel motivated to take on almost anything. Then, February rolls around, and you realize you haven’t gotten very far ahead on your goals. You’ve completely forgotten about your new year’s resolution by Easter. If this sounds like you, you’re not alone. According to Forbes, only 8% of people follow through with their new year’s resolutions.

I’ll be posting tips on the following new year’s resolutions over the next few weeks. Subscribe to be notified when they are posted!

• Saving Money: How to save $100,000 with or without a degree by age 31
• Losing Weight: How I lost (and gained) over 30 lbs
• Getting Out of Debt: How to set a budget and cut expenses
• Getting Organized: Losing my engagement ring and changing my lifestyle

Here are my tips on how to stick to your new year’s resolution:

1. Set a realistic, specific, measurable goal

Instead of saying, “I want to get in shape,” say “I want to decrease my body fat 5%.” You can’t really measure “getting in shape,” but you can definitely measure 5% of your body fat. Be as specific as possible. “Losing 10 lbs,” is more specific than “losing weight” or “getting in shape,” but weight fluctuates with muscle mass and hydration levels. “Losing 5% body fat” is more specific than “losing 10 lbs.”

Your goal also needs to be realistic, so consider the amount of time, resources, and effort you are willing to put forth to achieve it. Set yourself up for success. Failure can be demotivating and success addictive, so make sure you ARE able to achieve this goal. Succeeding in one goal can fuel motivation to succeed in other areas of life.

2. Use the month of January to create a plan

This is one of the most important and overlooked keys to success. Many fail to achieve their goals because they don’t have a plan to get them there. It would be great if we had a navigation system, telling us where we need to go turn by turn, but Siri isn’t that advanced yet, so the planning part is up to us. You have the whole year to achieve your goal, so use the entire month of January for planning. Here are my planning tips:

1. Write down the answers to the following questions:
   • Why did I choose this resolution?
   • What are the best and worst things that can happen if I don’t achieve this goal? Consider the span of your entire life when answering this.
   • What types of setbacks will occur, and what will I do when I encounter them?
   • What will I do when I’m feeling demotivated? Suggestion: reread your answers to these questions!
   • How will I celebrate achieving my goal?
2. Research your goal and create a general plan on how to achieve it based on your research and past experiences
3. Collect Supplies
4. Schedule milestones and checkpoints throughout the year to keep yourself on track
5. Prepare family/friends for any lifestyle changes
6. Put the plan in writing. It’s so important to write everything down so that you can refer to it and revise it throughout the year.

3. Track your progress

Check your progress on the scheduled date and record it. If you didn’t meet your milestone, ask yourself why. Were you too aggressive with the plan? Were you not putting in enough effort or sticking to the plan? Be honest with yourself. If you were too aggressive and truly do not have the time or resources to commit, revise your plan and goal. Gradual improvement is better than quitting, and you’ll be proud of yourself for sticking with it in the end. Reread the answers to your questions in step 1 of the plan to remind yourself of why you started this journey in the first place. If you weren’t putting in enough effort or sticking to the plan, now you know! Knowing is half the battle, and it’s time to kick it up a notch.

If you met your milestone, celebrate! You deserve it and are on track to success. Celebrating small wins helps keep motivation up and you focused on the end goal.

4. Understand habits

Whether it’s to drop a few pounds, quit smoking, or get out of debt, most new year’s resolutions revolve around breaking bad habits. In order to break the habit, you need to understand what drives it. According to Charles Duhigg, there are three components of habits: the cue, routine, and reward. Most people focus on breaking the routine component (eating junk food, spending, or smoking) but do not address the cue or reward. In order to change the habit, you need to address all components. Duhigg explains this in his book, “The Power of Habit.” This book was life changing. It helped me understand why I had bad habits and what to do to break them. I highly recommend purchasing this book or audiobook, but if you just want the cliff notes, watch this clip:

So, if you want to break your bad habit, figure out what your cues and the rewards are. Then, change the routine from an unhealthy to a healthy habit. I know it’s easier said than done, but I repeat: knowing is half the battle.

5. Get an Accountability Buddy

Performance is accelerated when you have others hold you accountable. I think the best accountability buddy is someone who has achieved the goal you’re trying to reach. They can serve not only as a role model but motivator and coach too. Another good accountability buddy is someone who is trying to reach the same goal. It’s great to have someone to bounce ideas off of and to call for support when times get tough. A third great accountability buddy is someone you trust and who cares about your success.

My New Year’s Resolution

My goal this year is to post twice a month. A big reason for starting this blog was to improve my writing and photography skills. Writing has never been one of my strengths. I’m more of a math and science type of person. It takes me twice as long as the average person to draft an email because of my discomfort with writing. Another reason for starting the blog was to share things I’ve learned with the rest of the world. I’ve learned SOOO many things from others’ blogs and books and want to pay it forward. My mom recommended I write a book, but that’s a bit too large of a project for me. My mom is my accountability buddy. She’s the person who convinced me to start this blog, and although she’s never done a blog herself (and has no plans to), she’s someone I trust and definitely cares about my success!

Do you have any tips on following through with new year’s resolutions? Or on breaking bad habits? Please share your tips and stories in the comments! Thanks 🙂