How to keep New Year’s resolutions 

New Year’s resolutions. We have all set them at least once in our life. We wanted to start working out, eating healthier, reading more books and so on... However, many times as December hits again, we realise that we have in fact not kept them throughout the whole year as was intended. So we tell ourselves that we are going to try again next year: ‘’Really, this time I can do it.’’
A vicious cycle. 

So here are some tips and trick that have helped me keep my New Year’s resolutions successfully.

Set realistic goals

In my opinion, most nyrs fail because they are unrealistic. For example, you set a goal to workout 6x a week, however you leave your house at 7am and come home at 8pm (this example might be a bit too much, but you get the point)

So instead of biting more than you can chew, try to take it easy. Failing to keep a resolution/ goal can be utterly demotivating, so try to set more realistic, reachable goals that you can also easily apply to your routine.

Set detailed goals

Try to make your goal more concrete and clear, so that you have an exact idea of what you are doing. Instead of saying: ‘’I want to improve my Spanish,’’ say: ,,I want improve my Spanish skills from level A2 to level B1.’’ This way your goal also becomes measurable, so that it is easier to determine whether you completed it or not.

Make smaller chunks

Big goals like ‘’eating healthier’’ might seem intimidating, because you don’t know where to start and what to do. That way you just become demotivated and quit as the third week of January comes by. Try to make smaller chunks of your goal ex. ‘’eat veggies in every meal’’ and ‘’drink 1 cup of water after waking up.’’

Think about your resolutions regularly

Tune in once in a while to think about your goal and why you started in the first place. If you set more resolutions, try to think about them regularly and decide how you are progressing, what you would like to improve and how they made your life better.

Keep track

Keep track of how you are keeping up, maybe create a habit tracker where you will be writing down your progress. This keeps you a little more accountable, because you have evidence of your work and see how you are doing.

Stay consistent

Consistency>perfectionism. Even if you missed once or twice or even ten times there is no need to stop trying. It is better to do something 1% at a time for a year than 100% for a week and then quit.

Don’t give up

And lastly, I have some motivation for you. This one might seem like an obvious one. It really is primitive but golden. If you are struggling, failing, feeling unmotivated or something else, try to step inside yourself for a moment, think about why you started in the first palce and how rewarding it is going to be to succeed in the end. Remember, if nothing else, motivational quotes are always there for you ;)

With love, 

Ronie 

Photo source: pexels.com