New Year, New Me

We’ve rolled around to that time of year again. It’s the end of 2019; time to sit down with a notepad and pen to make those New Year’s Resolutions which we know will realistically last a maximum of…2 weeks. Then we’ll be back to eating chocolate, drinking 10 cups of coffee a day and abandoning the fitness routine. Why do we find it so difficult to stick to our New Year’s resolutions? Surely they can’t be that difficult- right?!?! 

Well the simple fact of the matter is that the majority of people just don’t go about making their New Years Resolutions the right way. We set fixed goals such as: I want to eat less chocolate, I want to go to the gym more, I want to stop drinking coffee. But we don’t account for the smaller steps which need to be taken, nor do we have a way of measuring these goals. Moreover, it’s a proven fact that if we write negative goals (i.e. I want to stop drinking coffee), we’re less likely to stick with them. Instead we need to reframe our wording to phrases such as: Rather than drinking coffee, I want to drink more herbal tea. That way, the next time we reach into the cupboard for the jar of coffee, we’re more likely to think twice before reaching for the herbal tea instead. 

You have the capability to achieve anything you set your mind to- you just need to know what you want, and you have to work for it. Think about what you want to achieve. What will make this year great? What will your future self thank you for starting today?

Over the past few years, I’ve found some brilliant ways to make my New Years Resolutions attainable, measurable and successful. So today I want to give you my top tips for setting, phrasing and achieving your New Year’s Resolutions in 2020. Grab a notebook and a pen and get ready to make 2020 the best year yet!!

1.     Split your goals into sub-categories

When you begin making your New Years’ Resolutions, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with where to start. I find it easy to compartmentalise my life into different sub-categories as follows:

Physical/Mental Health 
Self-Growth 
Intellectual 
Relationships 
Spiritual
Hobbies
Finance 

Of course, you can simplify this to Personal & Career, but I think that these categories give me the breadth to consider all aspects of my life. From there, you can use each of these sub-categories as prompts for where to begin.

2.     Be specific

As I start to make my goals, I think of how I’m going to achieve my aims, instead of just thinking about what I want to achieve.

For example, if I want “to be a more grateful person”, my goal will be “to write down 3 things I am grateful for at the end of every day in a gratitude journal.” By doing this, I am more likely to achieve my goals because I know what I need to do in order to achieve them. In addition, I will also give either a time I want to achieve my goal by or specify how frequently I want to practise this new habit. So instead of saying “I want to read more”, I will say that “I want to read one book from my reading list every fortnight.”

What steps do you need to take? How frequently do you need to practise this habit?

3.     Think of why you want to achieve your goal

The main reason people will give up on working towards a goal is because they lack the motivation needed to achieve it. They haven’t asked themselves why they want to lose weight, get an A* in English or save up for travelling. 

In addition to writing down your goals, write down why you want to achieve them. Examples of qualifying your goals include: In order to get a promotion, to be a better role model, to prove to myself that I am capable. Most people waste time thinking about how they’re going to achieve a goal, which causes them to feel overwhelmed. But the secret is instead to focus on why. 

Your why is going to give you purpose and push you to make your dreams a reality when you feel like giving up. We’re all human so we can’t always be motivated and sometimes we need to give ourselves an extra push. Now is the time to do that.  

4.     Make measurable goals

You need to be able to hold yourself accountable for the goals you’ve set. How are you going to know when you’ve reached your aim?

One of my goals this year is to learn how to speak Dutch fluently. But how will I know when I’ve reached this goal? Well, I have Dutch friends who live in the Netherlands, so once I can hold a conversation with them then I’ll know that I’ve reached my goal.

Some of your other goals may be more difficult to measure, such as “being more helpful to strangers and loved ones”. For a goal like this, you could measure it by your consciousness to practise this on a daily basis. When you actively go out of your way to help other people and consider other people’s needs instead of just your own, then you’ve achieved the goal.

5.     Regularly review your goals 

My final point links into the last tip, as it requires active thinking and a willingness to grow. I like to review my New Years Resolutions at the end of every month and consider which steps I need to take to achieve them. This way, I can also reflect on how far I have progressed by seeing which goals I have progressed the furthest with. From here, I can update my goals to make them more measurable, motivating, specific etc. if need be.

Your goals are a working progress, remember that.

Good luck with setting and smashing those New Years’ Resolutions and feel free to leave any suggestions of your own top tips!

I wish you a year of happiness, success and good health!