Note: Originally written for and published on the Intrinsic Styles blog
The holiday season is upon us! Many people, like me, wait all year for this time. Decorations and lights are everywhere, and time spent with loved ones is something to really treasure and value. Right on the heels of this holiday season is the new year, and many people find the need to make New Year’s resolutions in order to set the year up right. This is something valuable and worth it, if it’s done in the right way. However, many people simply let their New Year’s resolutions sit in their drawer, and don’t actually follow through with them more than a few weeks into the new year.
Therefore, here are some tips on making your New Year’s resolutions last.
1. Make resolutions that are more specific.
If you make your resolution something that is harder to measure and consistently follow through with, such as “be nice to my coworker regardless of how much they annoy me,” than you will have a harder time making sure that you actually fulfill that resolution. Therefore, it’s must easier and simpler to make a resolution that delineates actual actions you can take, such as “attend a yoga class three times a week.”
2. Don’t make resolutions you already know you won’t follow through on.
Many people make resolutions that they already know they probably won’t hold for the rest of the year. They either make resolutions that are impossible to maintain, or are simply wishfully thinking about what they wish they could change about themselves. Don’t make the mistake of setting yourself up for failure. When making a resolution, your mindset has to be a positive one. You have to believe you can actually achieve it and follow through with it throughout the year.
3. Write down your resolutions and put them somewhere visible.
When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, often we forget them amidst our busy and crazy days. Therefore, it’s important to put the list in places that you check often, such as near your bathroom mirror and on the notes on your phone. That way, you can start every morning with the list of resolutions you want to follow during the new year. Refreshing your mind on these resolutions every morning will be like beginning the new year all over again.
4. Find someone to keep you accountable for your resolutions.
When it comes to remembering and maintaining your resolutions, it works the best when you have an accountability partner. When there is an outside person who can force you to follow your resolution on those days when you just don’t want to, you are way more likely to follow through. Find someone who isn’t afraid to tell you what they think, and push you even when you really don’t want to. It has to be someone who you are comfortable with, and you see relatively often so they can check in with you and help you out.
5. Make your resolutions with someone.
If you actually write and make your resolutions with someone else, they can be your sounding board for what they think you will follow through on, and what might be best to not make a resolution. They can tell you if your resolutions are too broad, and if your resolutions are ones that makes sense for that year. This person can also become your accountability partner if you so desire, because they will have been with you from the beginning.
Hopefully, if you follow these 5 suggestions for developing your New Year’s resolutions, you will be on track for maintaining them next year. And most importantly, if sometimes you forget to follow through with your resolutions, don’t simply give up! Renew them and make a commitment to yourself to try once again to follow through with them