Now that it’s January, you might be working on your New Year’s resolutions. A lot of people try to change some bad habits as part of their resolutions. Well, that can start out pretty good at the beginning of January but then a lot of people lose their motivation and momentum. It’s pretty frustrating and that’s why people slip a little, give up, and go back to old habits. That’s why resolutions don’t work for a lot of us. Well, to be more successful with your resolutions this year, I’ve got some tips. In case you’ve already slipped up, refocus with these tips and get yourself back on track.
- Make a list of resolutions or habits you want to work on this year. You probably have more than one thing you want to work on, so start by listing them all.
- Prioritize your list. Prioritize your list according to what is most important to you or what you think is the most urgent.
- Don’t let your list overwhelm you. I’ve got a plan to help you manage this.
- Break down your list into manageable steps.
- Write a list of action steps for each resolution or habit.
- Each week start on one action step for each resolution or habit.
- The next week, continue what you started on week 1, but then also add one more action step for each resolution or habit.
- Continue each week with the same process until you get into the new habit. There are lots of different theories on how long it takes to develop a new habit, but I think if you just use January as the month for getting started on your new habits, by February, you should be making pretty good progress. Of course, it could take longer to actually reach your goal, but I’m just talking about forming new habits that you want in your life.
- Keep track of your progress by putting all action steps in your calendar or planner. You could even use a spreadsheet to list each resolution and the steps to take, and put them into specific months throughout the year. That way, you could really see your progress each month. This works great for weight loss or debt payments. It really helps to keep you motivated.
Here is an example of how to set resolutions or habits and write action steps for each. I’m using some popular New Year’s resolutions as an example:
Healthy eating:
- Week 1: Drink 8 glasses of water a day.
- Week 2: Eat 5 fruits and vegetables a day.
- Week 3: Cut out evening snacks.
- Week 4: Cut red meat down to twice a week.
Exercising:
- Week 1: Exercise 5 days/week for 10 minutes a day.
- Week 2: Exercise 5 days/week for 20 minutes a day.
- Week 3: Exercise 5 days/week for 30 minutes a day.
- Week 4: Exercise 6 days/week for 30 minutes a day.
Finances:
- Week 1: Write down all long-term financial savings goals.
- Week 2: Make a budget.
- Week 3: Start paying off credit cards.
- Week 4: Start saving for long-term goals.
Of course, these are just examples. I’m not saying you should try these exact steps. The point that I’m trying to make here is that if you list your resolutions and tackle them in small steps, you can achieve them instead of giving up before you even get to February.
I’m a bit of a nerd but, for me, if I make a plan to do something, I find that it’s actually fun to break it down into steps and track my progress. Maybe it will work for you too. I hope you’ll give it a try before you give up. Make 2017 the year that you break bad habits and start new ones!
If you’ve got some more suggestions for starting new habits, please let us know in the comments below.
Until next time, have a wonderful day!