The New Year is just around the corner, so now is the perfect time to start thinking about what you would like to achieve in 2017. New Year’s resolutions are a great way to motivate yourself to move forward and achieve your goals, but lots of people struggle to stick to their resolutions.
There are lots of reasons why people struggle to stick to their New Year’s resolutions. Maybe the resolutions were unrealistic, or perhaps the person didn’t care enough about the resolution. No matter what the problem is, you can fix it – you simply need to change the way that you choose your resolutions.
Here are 8 questions that you should ask yourself before setting your New Year’s resolutions to make sure that they are realistic and achievable.
1. Are my goals realistic?
One of the main mistakes that people make when they are setting New Year’s resolutions is that they aim too high. They feel motivated and ambitious when they choose their goals in December, but by January they feel demotivated and stressed so they drop the resolution completely. Make sure that your resolutions are realistic so that you will be able to stick to them even on days when you don’t feel very motivated.
2. Am I making too many New Year’s resolutions?
Some people set lots of different resolutions. They decide to quit smoking, cut down on junk food and exercise more, but in the end they don’t fulfil any goals as they feel too overwhelmed. It is difficult to completely change your lifestyle overnight, but it is easy to change small aspects of your life. If you want to achieve your goals choose one or two resolutions to focus on, rather than three or four.
3. Is this a goal that I would love to achieve?
Some people are pressured by their friends and family to set goals that they are not really interested in. Don’t let other people choose your goals for you, as you won’t work towards it if you don’t really care about it. Instead choose resolutions that matter to you, so that you actively work towards achieving them.
4. How am I going to reward myself if I achieve my goals?
Some resolutions come with their own rewards; exercising will tone up your body and help to improve body confidence, and quitting smoking means that your will improve your overall health. If you start to feel demotivated, try to focus on the reason why you set the resolution. If your resolution doesn’t come with a reward you can arrange a treat – for instance, you could treat yourself to takeaway on the 1st of February as a reward for sticking to your resolution for a whole month.
5. How am I going to measure my success?
Some people give up on their resolutions as they don’t measure their goals. This makes them feel demotivated as they feel like they are making an effort but seeing no progress. Write down a few ways that you can measure your goals, so that you are less likely to give up.
6. Which resolution should I work on first?
Decide which resolution is most important to you, and try to work on that one first. It can be difficult to achieve lots of different resolutions, but if you work on them one by one you are more likely to achieve them all.
7. How much time should I give myself to succeed?
Do you think that your resolution will take two months or two years to achieve? Setting a time limit will make your goal seem more real, and it will help you to track your progress so you are more likely to stick to it.
8. How am I going to plan my life around my goals?
If your resolutions don’t fit into your current schedule, you will need to think about how you will manage your time in the New Year. Take a look at you schedule and re-arrange it so that you will have lots of time to work on your goals.
