Tips to Help You Stick to Your New Year’s Goals

January 1, 2024 | Wellness

Setting New Year resolutions can help you achieve success in the upcoming year. However, sticking to your goals can get hard as the year marches on. The right game plan can help you stay the course all-year long.

Lots of peeps kick off January with high hopes of good behavior and achievements, but lose momentum as the year marches on. In fact, only four in 10 peeps are still on track with their resolutions after six months.

But that doesn’t have to be your reality in 2024. Sure, if your goal-setting process is flawed, you’re unlikely to get very far. The good news is that with a few tweaks, you can make sure your resolutions stick around and become part of your routine. The key is to set realistic, attainable goals and to break down those grandiose resolutions into smaller parts.

Make SMART goals

Get organized by setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goals. Use these criteria to turn abstract ideals into concrete plans with clear direction. They also make it easier to track progress, stay on target, and measure success.

Yep, studies show that setting SMART goals increases the chances of sticking to them. So instead of resolving to do vague stuff like “get in shape,” instead, aim for something like “run a 5K in under 25 minutes by June 1st.”

When you’ve got specific parameters for your goals, it’s easier to maintain your motivation, making it more likely that you’ll succeed.

Start small

Don’t expect to completely revamp your life overnight. It takes time to change habits, and you can’t do it all at once. Instead, make smaller goals that are easier to tackle and don’t require a huge lifestyle shift from day one. This way, you can gradually work your way up to the challenging objectives.

For example, instead of aiming to cut out all sugary snacks right away, begin by swapping unhealthy treats for healthier alternatives. Once that’s become a habit, you can move on to eliminating snacks or reducing the amount that you eat.

Create goals for different areas of your life

Life is multi-faceted so why have resolutions that only focus on one area? Instead, think about all the different aspects of your life — like relationships, health, career, finances, and leisure activities — and create goals for each domain. Doing so helps ensure that you’re giving attention to every part of your life instead of just one or two.

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