How to make new year resolutions - and keep them

File picture: Pexels

File picture: Pexels

Published Jan 8, 2022

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It’s that time of the year again. The time of making ridiculous resolutions and breaking them within days.

"This year, I will start a new hobby.“ ”In 2022, I will live life to the fullest.“ ”This is the year, I will start a new business.“ Do any of these sound familiar?

While these goals are positive and will make the year better, they are new year resolutions that probably won’t stick. Here is why.

Human beings are creatures of habit, and while our ’new year, new me’ goals are not bad, how we make these new goals need to change. To make them stick, we need to make our new year goals actionable and achievable.

Making small mindset shifts and behaviour changes is better and more effective at making a difference than big ones.

Go for smaller resolutions

There is absolutely nothing wrong with big dreams, but creating a resolution that’s too big to manage will fail. So if one of your goals is to learn Korean because you want to watch Squid Game without subtitles, then break that goal down into small manageable parts.

Avoid vague resolutions

That said, avoid vague resolutions. I don’t know about you, but whenever I set goals that are too vague, I usually don’t fulfil them. It’s best to set detailed goals that have clear parameters. That way, you never lose focus or get discouraged.

Be SMART

Most of us have heard of SMART goals. Whether it's from your Life Orientation class in school or some inspirational Facebook post, we heard that goals are supposed to be SMART which stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely.

Make your resolutions public

You might want to consider making your resolutions public. Think about it. We are less likely to back out because we already told everyone that we would be doing this-and-that. Get your friends to help you with your progress too.

Celebrate the small things

It is okay to focus on the endgame, but sometimes focusing too much on the finish line can leave you feeling demotivated, especially if you aren’t seeing immediate results.

This is why experts recommend recognising and reward the smaller successes along the way.

Track the milestones by writing them down or use a goal tracking app.

IOL

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