Blowing one’s New Year’s Resolution is a long-standing tradition. In the 1800′s, Mark Twain said, “New Year’s Day: Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving Hell with them as usual.”
Here’s how to avoid paving Hell with yours.
1. Make your resolution simple, measurable, and doable.
Make your goal attainable. Don’t be vague, and don’t pick something too hard. Don’t say something unclear like “Lose some weight.” Set a goal you can reach, like “Lose 15 pounds.” Also, pick something you can actually do. Don’t say “In a year I want to bench 450 lbs.” when right now you can only bench 110. And remember, there’s a big difference between “possible” and “attainable.”
2. Track your progress.
Find some way to record your progress toward your goal. Keep a journal, calendar or blog where you at least write down measurements of your progress. If you write more, say, about what you’re thinking as you go along you’ll be more likely to stick with your program.
3. Set Milestones.
Milestones are smaller goals en route to your larger one. Setting smaller goals serves three purposes, it keeps you motivated, it keeps you from “cramming” (for instance, trying to lose 10 lbs in one week to meet your final goal), and it gives you the opportunity for rewards.
4. Reward Yourself.
For each milestone, set a small reward, and be sure to set a large reward at the end! This reward can be related to your goal, like buying a new shirt or pants every time you reach a goal as you lose weight. Or, you can pick something unrelated to your goal, like treating yourself to a special dinner every every time your bench press goes up 10 lbs.
5. Make it a habit.
Stick with your new program long enough to establish a new habit. Of course, “they” say it takes 21 days to pick up a new routine, so work hard to stick with throughout the month of January, then you’ll have a better chance to stick with it.
This process of setting goals and attaining them is a great way to accomplish more in life. If you can get used to this cycle, you will be able to do more at work and in your home!
Other Helpful Resources
How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions: Advice from the Experts, Time.
How to Keep A Resolution, WSJ.
How to Make Every New Year’s Resolution Stick for Good, Gawker.
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