If you’ve already given up on your New Year’s resolutions, you’re in good company. Research shows just 8% of people actually follow through on the resolutions they make 🥵.
Still, you shouldn’t give up just yet. The new year has barely started, and it’s never too late to make progress on your goals — you know, the things that inspired you to make resolutions in the first place.
Here are 3 expert resolution-keeping tips to get you moving. You got this! 💪
‘Chunk’ your resolutions into bite-size pieces
Shrinking down your resolutions might be the single most important thing 💯 you can do to bring them to fruition.
The reason, behavioral scientists say, is that ambitious resolutions — while great in theory — are really tough to achieve in practice.
“People often set large goals, follow them for a few days or weeks, and begin to get tired when they see there’s still so much ahead of them,” neuroscientist Caroline Leaf tells Real Simple magazine.
To battle that sense of fatigue, you should aim to “chunk” your big, bold goals into smaller, concrete actions (like walking 30 minutes a day as opposed to losing 30 pounds). Resolutions that are achievable and actionable make your long-term objectives much more attainable.
Plus, scaling down will help you achieve quick wins: giving you renewed energy to keep progressing. 🙌
The lesson: You want to be energized, instead of fatigued, by your resolutions. Breaking them down into bite-size chunks can make all the difference.
Hold each other accountable
Having a resolution in January is one thing. But as the year progresses, it’s easy to get distracted (especially in the current, ahem, global environment).
What can give you a big boost is having people by your side to hold you to your goals. Really, you want to be holding each other accountable — so ideally, you’ll find accountability partners 👫 whose resolutions are aligned with (or in the same ballpark as) yours.
The AARP describes this approach as having two benefits. First, you’ll have someone nearby to chronicle your wins — like taking a picture of you every time you make it to the gym — and help you enjoy the journey towards accomplishment. Second, your buddy will keep you from taking shortcuts. You’ll be more likely to press on if things get tough, because you won’t want to let the person down.
There’s an Ubuntu saying that sums up why having others by your side 🤝 is so valuable. “If you want to go fast, go alone,” the saying begins. “If you want to go far, go together.”
The lesson: Share your goals and resolutions with others to try to find accountability partners. Then, make a plan for how you can support each other.
Reframe your mindset
Heard the saying “perception is reality”? It means our understanding of the world (our reality) is tied to how we see the world.
To put it a little differently, your mindset 🧠 shapes how you move through life. And one little word can have a gigantic impact, behavioral psychologist John Burkhardt tells the Tuscaloosa News.
“Instead of saying I’ve got to go to the gym, reframe it as you get to go to the gym,” he says.
Of course, a positive mindset won’t solve real hardships like serious health problems or systemic racism. But a reframe isn’t so much about empty positivity as it is avoiding negativity.
Looking at life through the lens of opportunities rather than challenges makes you more grateful (which has lots of health benefits 💊 on its own). At the same time, it empowers you to focus on the things that are within your control.
Reframing is especially valuable when your resolutions break down — which, for many of us, is inevitable.
“Every misstep,” the AARP suggests, “is an opportunity to learn and improve for the future.”
The lesson: Habits take, on average, more than 2️⃣ months to stick. If you’re struggling to commit to your resolutions, reframe them from a perspective of opportunity.
How are your resolutions coming along? I’m succeeding at one (fewer takeaway coffees) and failing at another (eating less meat). Share your progress with us on social media @illumyinc.
Photo by ian dooley on Unsplash.
