5 Life Hacks to Help You Commit to New Year’s Resolutions
Every New Year’s Eve, millions (or even billions) of people all say their resolutions. From the usual staples such as weight loss and smoking cessation to the rather unique ones like achieving a career milestone or traveling to a dream destination, everyone likes to make a list of the things they want to put their name on in the next 365 days.
However, just like many promises, keeping resolutions isn’t exactly the easiest thing in the world. If it was, then a lot of people wouldn’t be making the same resolutions for years.
If you’re one of those who struggle with their resolutions, we have here a short list of the 5 things you can do right now to help you get through your resolutions one checkmark at a time.
1. Recheck and reword your resolutions
The first thing you have to do is to check whether the resolutions you made are actually possible or within your means.
For instance, you can’t just want to go to Mt. Fuji if you don’t even have a stable job or an updated passport. Beating a world record isn’t exactly something anyone can do unless they dedicate a lot of time to beating it, and if you’re like most people, you probably don’t even have time to brush your hair in the morning!
Sometimes, goals may be too demanding, but a bit of rewording could soften them a bit if only to make them attainable. Say, you want to quit smoking. How about instead of quitting entirely (which is the end goal), try to cut it down to two per day at most until you work your way down to zero. For weight loss, declare the weight you want to lose in a year (like 50 lbs), then divide that in two or even three. This way, the goal doesn’t sound so hard mentally.
2. Share what you set out to do
Telling other people what you want to accomplish in a year can help make you accountable. The more people you get involved, the more motivated you become to actually stick to your resolutions.
3. Find out what’s making you deviate
Distractions are the enemy of success, and this applies to resolutions too. Let’s say your aim is to get 7 hours of sleep every night, you should literally keep your phone as far from your reach before bedtime. Or perhaps, if your goal is lowering alcohol intake, then avoid too much partying or occasions that you know you will be pressured to drink more than your fair share.
4. Stick to a routine
The one thing the brain always likes is a routine. This is how fitness buffs manage to stay fit despite the number of times they’ve had to change their eating plans or workout schedules. Because after they make a drastic change in their routines, they strive hard to either adapt to it or go back to the original version. This also helps train the brain into making the changes you want more “normal” i.e. the first week of working out will feel like a chore, but after a month or two, it becomes part of your life.
5. Jot down notes
One of the best ways to stay on track of anything is by making it visual, and note taking is a good way to do it. Listing achievements, the temptations you dodged, and your overall progress can serve as a motivator. If you always read (or review) what you’ve done today or in the past, there’s a good chance that you would want to improve on them.
Takeaway…
Resolutions are easy to say, but notoriously difficult to keep. That’s the point, though. No life goal worth doing is easy to achieve, so you’re going to have to do your best to make sure you stick to what you promised at the start of the year. If you ever find yourself straying or demotivated, you can try one or all of the tips we provided in this blog so you can jumpstart your path to completing your New Year’s Resolutions.
