Wouldn’t it be great if we could set New Year’s resolutions and actually stick to them? Just imagine if, by July, we were all rocking our resolutions! Although this might be true for some of you, the reality is, by February, most people have ditched their resolutions or their motivation has petered out. In fact, according to U.S. News & World Report, the failure rate for New Year's resolutions is about 80 percent. So just what can you do to ensure success for your resolutions? Read on!
Start small.
Excitement about your resolutions is great, but rein in your gung-ho attitude ever so slightly and consider setting only one or two goals instead of a laundry list. Having too many will make staying focused and motivated hard and losing track easy. Susan of Overland Park says, “The only resolution I’ve ever kept all year is making my bed. We’ve made our bed every day, except five days of not feeling well, so that’s a record for me for sure. I decided I needed to feel successful with one thing in my life in 2020!”
Be specific.
“Being more specific has helped me,” says Amy of Leawood. “I can say ‘work out more,’ but what does that look like? So instead of reading more, working out more, being on my phone less, etc., I phrase it as ‘read one book a month, run 30 miles each month, put my phone away by 9:00 each night, don’t open apps or email until after school drop-off.’ This feels more manageable and also puts a name to it.”
Set measurable goals.
More specific goals are important for you to maintain success but also make it easier to measure progress. If your resolution is to “get healthy,” how are you going to know when you have achieved that? Ask yourself what “get healthy” means for you. Do you want to drink more water? Eat more vegetables? Exercise more? As mentioned above, making your resolutions specific will break them down into measurable tasks to accomplish. Perhaps “get healthy” will turn into going for a walk over your lunch break three or four times a week. Maybe you will decide to drink 64 ounces of water every day or, as Rebecca shares, “Drink one glass of water before coffee every morning.” Well ... maybe we don’t need to go that far....
Don’t skip the rewards!
I don’t know about you, but I love to be rewarded for a job well done. Who doesn’t? So when it comes to setting a resolution for yourself, remember to build in a reward too! Go out and buy a new pair of leggings when you’ve run your 30 miles, or treat yourself to a special drink once you’ve hit your water goal for the week.
*GRACE!
You will have setbacks and moments you feel like giving up on your resolution, especially if this is a new experience for you. Give yourself grace for those moments! You may not be feeling well one day and be unable to get your walk or miles in. Perhaps you had dinner late with a friend and missed getting to bed by your goal time. Whatever the slip up is, realize this happens. Accept it, move on and then get yourself back in the game—don’t give up!
Here are a few great examples for resolutions that fit the bill for being small, specific and measurable:
- Try one new food a month. Michelle of Overland Park mentioned, “I am a creature of habit and stick to my tried and true items. Many things I just pass on,” Michelle of Overland Park says, “but last year I tried blueberries (yes, I know it’s crazy) because my son went blueberry picking and brought some home special for me. Now, if anyone offers me something, I will at least try a bite!” Along those same lines, Tracy and her husband, who live in Kansas City, tried one new restaurant a month in 2019. “Date night plus discovering our city was so fun!” she says.
- Try meditation practices once, twice or maybe even three times a week. “I find when I meditate regularly, I am much more focused, and my stress level is significantly reduced,” says Mandy of Overland Park. “I use a popular app called Calm. Each session is only about 10-15 minutes, so easy to fit in during your day.”
- Implement technology-free dinners or a technology-free night. “Absolutely no electronics at the dinner table for children and adults. It’s harder than you think but so worth it. Makes humans actually communicate!” says Stephanie of Olathe. My husband and I used to do one night a week technology free. This meant no phone, no television, no laptop, nada. Those nights eventually went by the wayside, but I often find myself missing them. We would actually go to bed at a decent time, play games together, read or get projects done. Maybe 2021 will be our year to bring those nights back!
- Set a new goal for sleep! It seems we can never get enough of it and are always tired, so set your resolution for 2021 to be in bed by 10:00 every night (or whatever time you decide for yourself). On the opposite end, perhaps waking up 15 minutes earlier than you have been would be of great benefit to you to get your day started right. Or bring two resolutions together and set a goal to read or meditate before your early bedtime instead of watching TV or using your phone.
I hope as you have read this you have been encouraged to make your resolutions! Maybe 2021 will be the year to try making goals together as a family or involving your children in the process if they are old enough. What a great way to boost each other up and have specific things to encourage each other over. I think after 2020 we all could use a bit of that now, couldn’t we?
What’s your resolution category this year?
- Fitness/health
- Finances
- Technology
- Relationships
- Work/job
- Faith
Julie Collett is typically not a New Year’s resolution maker herself but is going to try these strategies for 2021 and see what happens!