How to Succeed at Your New Years’ Resolutions

I have been thinking hard on How to Succeed at Your New Years’ Resolutions.

 

How to Succeed at Your New Years’ Resolutions

 

As a kid, I loved the first day of school.

The new pens and notebooks and binders and paper.

New schedule, new classes, new learning possibilities, new goals.

Now that I’m not a student anymore, that’s how I feel about New Years.

I can’t remember the first time I heard about New Years’ resolutions but I think there is an innate part of me that has always made them and appreciated the process.

I’ve been making resolutions as long as I remember. My first adult resolution was to get control of my finances and create a budget.

I also understand why it’s important to set New Year’s Goals.

Here’s the shocking part: I have actually been succeeding at a lot of those resolutions!

 

How to Succeed at Your New Years’ Resolutions

 

What’s the magic formula? Having a plan, reviewing it regularly, and taking action.

The simplest method to make your plan is to set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic/Relevant, and Time bound).

I won’t go through the whole process of how to make a plan but you can check out Missy Homemaker’s post to see a simple template to follow.

If you want some help to figure out areas to set goals in, Tsh Oxenreider, from The Art of Simple has a great post on 20 Questions to Help Set Goals.

Once you have your plan in place, how can you put it into practice to make sure you actually accomplish what you set out to do?

Something like 90% of what we do is done out of habit. So if we want to achieve certain goals or resolutions, the easiest way would be to make taking the steps towards them into habits.

 

Here are 3 simple steps to create new habits to help you succeed with your new years resolutions:

1. Visual reminders:

Print out the habits that you want to create that will get you closer to your goal.

Hang them up around your house in areas where you’ll see them and be regularly reminded of what you want to accomplish.

Some high traffic places are above the kitchen sink, on the bathroom mirror, on the fridge, near your computer.

You could hang up just the paper or even get frames to put them in.

My favorite solution is a simple page protector because I can easily switch them out to work on a new habit each month.

It also protects the paper from my little ones hands and from the splatter of dishwater.

 

How to Succeed at Your New Years’ Resolutions

 

2. Audible reminders:

Most people have a cell phone and nearly all cell phones have an alarm capability.

Set an alarm to remind you to about your habit and you are well on your way to learn How to Succeed at Your New Years’ Resolutions.

 

3. Physical anchors:

Evaluate your day and recognize the things that you do by habit and tie another habit to it.

For example, I already drink coffee each day but want to increase my water intake.

So I drink my water before I allow myself a coffee.

In an effort to reduce/eliminate pain from a back injury a few years ago, I want to strengthen my core.

I’m going to tie core exercises to my husband’s lunch hour (so he can hold the baby).

Our readers enjoyed these articles; How to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day without AlcoholNew Year’s Eve Craft for your Kids and New Year’s Eve Craft for your Kids

Do you set New Years resolutions?

Have you found a way to follow through on them?

Please share any tips that you have on making and keeping resolutions.

Please comment on our article, “How to Succeed at Your New Years’ Resolutions.”

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