With the new year approaching, many of us decide to make resolutions. Considering our personal and professional goals, we think we might better meet our objectives by starting fresh on January 1. Yet, it\u2019s easy to resolve to make changes, but much more difficult to sustain the effort. This article shares strategies to help make resolutions stick by turning our big ideas into routine, tangible actions.<\/p>\n
Research into resolutions suggests only 9 percent of Americans<\/a> carry through. Some 23 percent of people only make it a week; 43 percent quit within a month. This, obviously, defeats the purpose of setting a resolution.<\/p>\n Still, before we get to the how-to, let\u2019s first look at what psychology tells us about why resolutions fail (see what we did there, you didn\u2019t fail\u2026the resolution did). Common reasons include the following:<\/p>\n Those are just a few explanations for why humans have such a hard time with resolutions. You may have others. But, let\u2019s turn instead to the strategies that can help you approach your resolutions differently.<\/p>\n One big piece of advice for people making resolutions? Break major goals into smaller ones. For example, you might decide to learn a new skill for work. That\u2019s a big project. So, you might set yourself the task of researching programs that offer that skill by the end of January and enrolling in a program by the end of February. This gives you milestones along the way that you can measure against throughout the year.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also important to select a resolution that really matters to you. UC Davis\u2019s health<\/a> experts suggest \u201cbe picky about your resolutions.\u201d Choosing too many things to change can be overwhelming. Reflect on what you want to achieve and why it matters to you, then select one or two specific things you can achieve.<\/p>\n You might recognize the two ideas above if you\u2019ve ever read about SMART goals. We\u2019ve covered specific and relevant (and a little bit of the time-bound). It\u2019s also important to set something that is achievable. Say you want to quit smoking. It can help to research how long it takes the average person to beat the craving. Then, you can set a resolution for an achievable timeframe.<\/p>\n Tracking your progress can help your motivation, and that\u2019s going to be easier with measurable goals. Instead of simply saying, \u201cI want to exercise more,\u201d you\u2019d say \u201cI want to exercise for at least 20 minutes three times a week.\u201d Then, you might download a fitness app to track progress<\/a> or simply go old school and start a notebook in which you record what you did and when. To create a stable habit, it can help to journal or have some other way of tracking your progress.<\/p>\n Another strategy? Turn the steps you need to take to reach your resolution goal into a routine. Making something a routine grounds it in habit and helps you achieve incremental change.<\/p>\n Psychology research<\/a> tells us it\u2019s a lot easier to change our goals and intentions than it is to change how we behave. So, making a resolution into a routine is critical to success.<\/p>\n Apparently it takes 66 days to form a habit. That\u2019s what a 2009 study<\/a> found. Let\u2019s hope that 15 years later, we\u2019ve shaved some of that time off (after all, in 2009, people thought 5 Mbps was fast Internet. Today we have 500 Mbps).<\/p>\n Regardless, whether it takes you 66 days or less, here are six tips to help you establish your new routine:<\/p>\n If you are continually stumbling, it might indicate you need to revisit your plan, the schedule you\u2019re trying to keep, or even the resolution itself.<\/p>\n This article has demonstrated there should be a lot more involved in making a resolution than just saying \u201cI\u2019m going to do X.\u201d By reflecting on a goal that matters, making a plan, and working to establish a routine around that objective you can achieve a lot more.<\/p>\n Setting goals to make more data-based decisions in the new year?<\/strong> Sign up for a free Sogolytics trial<\/a> and get started today!\n
Resolutions to improve quality of life<\/h2>\n
Consistency is key<\/h2>\n
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Ready, set, resolve and routine<\/h2>\n
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