How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

goals poster

The majority of people have a difficult time keeping their New Year’s resolutions and after a few weeks, the resolution list is cast aside and forgotten. While looking over my Resolution list for last year however, I was pleased to discover that I was able to keep nearly all of my goals for the year. In order to keep ensure that you accomplish the goals on your list, here are some ideas that have helped me:

Review your list regularly
This is probably the biggest culprit. We write our list on January 1st, toss it in a drawer and that’s the last we think about it. It is important to review your yearly goals on a regular basis to see how you are doing. I keep my goal list in OmniFocus, a project/time management software program where I review my goals regularly. If you have a calendar program that allows for recurring reminders, set it to remind you to review your list monthly, biweekly, etc.

Set realistic goals
It is important that your goals be attainable. If you currently weigh 500 pounds and set a goal to reach 135 pounds in 6 months, you will most likely be disappointed. It is best to set your goals in small increments – say that I will lose 4 pounds a month. Setting unrealistic goals leads to frustration and then typically abandonment.

Don’s set too many goals
I have been guilty of this myself – setting so many goals that I become overwhelmed and then end up abandoning everything. Set only 3 or 4 goals for the upcoming year and focus solely on then – do not add any new goals until you have accomplished all but one goal. When you get down to one remaining goal, then feel free to add others. There’s no law that says you can’t add to your resolution list later on in the year.

Let others know your intention
Publicly announcing your goals to other helps you to accomplish them. When I quit smoking, I told everyone I knew. This helped ensure that I would not fail as it would have been embarrassing to show up later on with a cigarette in my mouth.

Create a daily schedule
Add your goal to your daily routine. If you use a paper or electronic calendar, add the goal to it – at least until it becomes a habit. One of my goals last year was to learn a new song on the harp every month. Thus, on my calendar I blocked out 10:30 to 11:30 every day to practice. Likewise, 4:00 to 5:00 is blocked out for studying Spanish.

Ask for help
Sometimes, it’s good to have a team of friends or family behind you. Support from others can often keep our goals at the forefront, especially if we have to report to our support group. Be sure to report in regularly with them and ask for a “pep-talk” when needed.

So this year, add a new goal to your list: “This year, I will keep my resolutions”.