As many people eagerly await the flip of the calendar to 2021, we all have the opportunity for a fresh start in the new year. You may have set New Year’s resolutions focused on exercise, time management or positive habits in the past, only to see them fade by March or April.
If you are ready to make your resolutions last in 2021, here are some tips for putting your ideas and goals into action:
Set your goals in stone. Rather than simply thinking “I want to read more books next year,” set a goal and write it down – whether on a piece of paper, your tablet or your bathroom mirror, as long as it’s somewhere where you will see your goals regularly. This physical reminder will help keep you on track and motivated. You can even take a picture of your 2021 New Year’s resolutions and post them as your social media profile picture, phone wallpaper or laptop screensaver for an added visual reminder.
Create specific, measurable resolutions. While “I want to read more” or “I want to exercise more” are worthwhile goals, they are also vague. The more specific your goals, the better. For example, your goal might be “I want to read three books per month – one memoir, one historical fiction and one recent best-seller.” You can use a program such as Goodreads to track your progress. Likewise, “I want to exercise more” might morph into “I aim to run three miles at least three times per week and lift weights for at least 30 minutes two times per week.” Again, there are many apps and programs you can use to track – and adjust – your resolutions throughout the year to come.
Make sure your resolutions are realistic. When we’re dreaming of a new year, it’s fun to think about pie-in-the-sky possibilities. “Maybe I’ll win the lottery, and build a new house and travel the world.” While that all sounds great, it is important to set goals that you can realistically achieve – putting an extra 10 percent of your paycheck into savings, painting the interior of your home and visiting two new states, for instance. If you set goals that are incredibly lofty, it can be disappointing when they don’t come true.
Think about your life holistically. Many of us set goals that have to do with the physical (weight loss and exercise) or financial (save more, spend less) without examining our lives as a whole. However, when you start to see positive affects in one area of your life, it can begin to influence everything else. With that in mind, it might make sense to set resolutions for all of the key areas of your life, including work, personal/family/relationships, health and wellness, finance and more.
Establish rewards. Rather than setting up one big reward once you have cleaned out every cupboard, closet and drawer in your house, create small treats along the way. Maybe you can treat yourself to an at-home spa day or a new pair of shoes to reward yourself for achieving part of your overall fitness goal. Just make sure the reward supports everything you are working towards. It is always great to have something to look forward to and something to celebrate!
As we draw closer and closer to the new year, take some time to determine where you want to see yourself in the year to come, craft goals that support that vision and then take action!