Did you know that at least one-third of people will give up on their New Year’s resolutions? Whether the studies say more people will fail or others will succeed, the resounding consensus is that many people will break their resolution or give up altogether in the new year.
Recent studies have proven that adopting a great new habit or kick an old bad habit takes longer than the expected 21 days. In fact, it’s estimated that people need to engage in a new habit for about 66 days before a new habit is made or broken.
For those of us setting short-term goals on January 1, many get discouraged when a new habit doesn’t stick. This is especially true for people who set lofty goals that need a longer time to complete, like losing weight or building a savings account. It gets even worse if multiple big habits are targeted at once.
Here are some ways to make New Year’s resolutions that are sure to stick.
Start small
It’s recommended that people should try to set simple daily, weekly, or monthly goals instead of making large changes throughout the year. After all, people are less likely to continue good habits unless they see an immediate result. For example, instead of “getting healthy” in the new year, you should start small. Set a goal to eat three salads per week before engaging in more laborious tasks like going to the gym once a day. Then, you can begin to add other goals into the mix, like taking more vitamins or going for daily walks. These should be goals that you can achieve as well. Someone who doesn’t run often isn’t going to be able to run a 5K by February.
Keep in mind that getting healthy doesn’t mean that you can prevent being sick, too. It’s estimated that Americans suffer from one billion colds per year, though you may be able to lower this number by engaging in healthier habits. Just don’t beat yourself up whenever you experience a setback or two.
Which brings up another good point: one setback isn’t going to ruin your entire goal.
If you forget to go to the gym one week, it doesn’t mean that you should give up and wait until next year to start again. Forming a new habit takes time and you’re not going to be able to get on the straight and narrow overnight. Being too hard on yourself might stop your goals from becoming a reality.
Be S.M.A.R.T.
According to Reader’s Digest, there five qualities that make a good resolution. To remember these qualities, think of the anagram S.M.A.R.T.: your goal should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-constrained.
Say you have resolved to improve your business in the new year. There are countless things to do in order to make your business better but you haven’t set deadlines for these goals. This turns into an amorphous idea that may or may not get accomplished over the scope of the new year.
Instead of resolving to improve your business, you should resolve to improve certain aspects by a specific date. This will keep you on the track to success and encourage you to make the necessary changes. For example, say you’re investing in a carbon fiber prototype that offers nearly 10 times the strength of steel. It will improve your business, but you haven’t even booked an appointment to work over the logistics. The first step to improving your business would be scheduling an appointment by February 1 and receiving your first prototype by April. However, claiming that your prototype will be ready by February might not be an achievable goal, hindering your resolution.
By constraining the time you have to accomplish these achievable goals, you might actually complete them.
There’s no magic formula that’s going to enable you to accomplish your New Year’s resolutions. Sometimes one small step can take you in the right direction. If you, like 78% of millennials, want to travel (and learn while you do), the first step is to look at flights! By following these tips, you might get a head start to improving your life in the new year.
