Everyone has good intentions at the end of a year – next year will be different, next year I’ll achieve my goals. Sadly, studies show that by day 12 of the new year, motivation begins to falter, it’s too cold and too dark to hit the gym, eating chocolate is much more pleasurable than an apple, and the December ‘treat yourself’ mentally is playing havoc with your savings.
So, to help you overcome quitter’s day and conquer your resolutions, here are our handy tips to keep you on track.
Set your intentions
Before the clock strikes midnight, set your intentions. What do you want to achieve in the New Year? Write them down somewhere you’ll see them every day. This could be a sticky note on the bathroom mirror where you brush your teeth. Alternatively, you could write them in your phone and set reminders to look at them throughout the day, or buy a shiny new pretty notebook – that way you’ll be journaling your progress.
Find your “why”
Finding your “why” is all about getting specific with your goal. It will help you stay on track when the cheese and wine start calling you. A common New Year’s resolution is wanting to lose weight, but often people fail to lose weight because they haven’t found their underlying reason – their “why” they want to lose it. Your “why” needs to dig deep beyond the superficial reasons, it’s there to push you when you are facing challenges, or when it all feels too much and you want to quit.
Your “why” can change over time as you start to achieve your New Year’s resolutions. Your “why” is personal to you, it might not make sense to anyone else, but recommitting to your “why” when the going gets tough is the difference between sticking to your New Year’s resolution and not making it past day 12.
Get specific
Once you’ve set your intentions and discovered your “why”, it’s time to get specific; how will you achieve your goals? Getting specific means setting measurable, realistic and timely goals. To get specific you need to break down how you will achieve your New Year’s resolution. For example, if you are saving for a house, holiday or wedding you need to look at your personal finances.
Figure out your needs (food, housing, utilities, insurance and car payments etc), wants (shopping, days out, hobbies etc – this includes things like gym membership), and savings, and create each budget according to your income and the monthly cost of your needs. If you are saving for a holiday in 6 months, for example, work out how much you need to save each month. By breaking it down into smaller amounts, you’re more likely to achieve your resolution.
Cut yourself some slack
Perhaps the most important thing when sticking to New Year’s resolutions is to cut yourself some slack. Acknowledge that at times, you might eat that piece of cake or dip into your savings. The key is to acknowledge it, move on and get back on track.
New Year’s aren’t about creating a “new you”. Instead, use the New Year to mark living in the now. Today, commit to your resolution. It’s easy to do one thing for one day and soon you’ll get to day 12 and still be doing that one thing!
