inevitable discussion of New Year’s resolutions. Something about the end of one year and the beginning of another creates a sense of clarity, ambition and sometimes melancholy about the opportunities the future may hold that the past has not. Common resolutions include weight loss efforts, diet changes, career moves and relationship goals.
The month of January sees overcrowded gyms, unusually motivational social media posts and a spike in sales for self-help books. Unfortunately, February and March see a sharp decline in these good faith efforts for improvement. By the time December rolls around once again, the resolutions are long forgotten, and signs of significant change are rarely seen.
To make your 2016 resolutions last through December 31, try this 5-step plan:
1. Make a list (and check it thrice) at least a week before New Year’s Eve: Each of us could probably name 50 things we’d like to improve on in the next year, but that’s not productive or doable. Choose a handful of New Year’s resolutions that follow the guidelines of SMART objectives:
The month of January sees overcrowded gyms, unusually motivational social media posts and a spike in sales for self-help books. Unfortunately, February and March see a sharp decline in these good faith efforts for improvement. By the time December rolls around once again, the resolutions are long forgotten, and signs of significant change are rarely seen.
To make your 2016 resolutions last through December 31, try this 5-step plan:
1. Make a list (and check it thrice) at least a week before New Year’s Eve: Each of us could probably name 50 things we’d like to improve on in the next year, but that’s not productive or doable. Choose a handful of New Year’s resolutions that follow the guidelines of SMART objectives:
- Specific: Instead of aiming to “lose weight,” set a specific weight loss goal so that you’ll know when you’ve reached it based on how many pounds you’ve lost.
- Meaningful: Consider all the things you wish you’d accomplished in the past year. Now choose a few of those things that are most important to you.
- Action-oriented: Employ the resume rule here – each item on your list of resolutions should begin with a verb. Lose __ pounds. Develop food diary. Read a book (for leisure) each month.
- Realistic: Can you really get each of these goals done within a year with everything else you need to accomplish? If not, change the specifics of the goal to make it doable. For example, I might not be able to switch from meat eater to vegan in a year, but I could probably phase red meat out of my diet by next December.
- Timely: Is this year the year for you to focus on this particular goal? If you’ve recently had an ankle injury, this might not be the year to run your first marathon, but it could be the year that you work on your weight training.
2. Map it out: One of the most common and effective ways of recording goals is by creating a vision board. It is a creative way to map out the year, offering a visual representation of all the resolutions you make. Position it prominently so that you see it every day, preferably multiple times each day. Create the list and the vision board before New Year’s Eve so you can start working towards your goals on the first day of the year.
3. Take it step by step: Each month you should accomplish smaller goals. Record these on a separate document and attach the checklist to your vision board. Update it with each passing month to reflect new developments. Accomplishing more small victories will boost your ego and make your large goals seem more attainable.
4. Hold yourself accountable: If your goal is to workout more, find a gym partner who will keep you on track. If you want to eat better, buy a notebook and designate it your food diary. Most importantly, set aside a reward for completing each goal, and a grand prize if you accomplish your entire list of resolutions. This gives you something to look forward to in addition to the positive changes that accomplishing your goal will bring.
5. Don’t be afraid to fail: At the end of every year, we look back and see all the ways our lives have changed in 365 days. We see how we are different, how those around us are different, and how our aims might be different than what we started with. Three months into the New Year, you might realize that you want to focus on running a half marathon instead of aiming to lose a certain number of pounds. |
That’s okay! The point of a resolution is that you’re in tune with what you need to improve on in your life, and you follow that no matter what. If you set out to accomplish five things, then aim to complete five goals by the end of the year, but allow flexibility and clarification within that.
Good luck on your resolutions! I’ll be creating my own vision board within the next two weeks, so check back in for tips and ideas – and to keep me accountable!