Make your New Years Resolution
A New Years resolution is a tradition, a bit of an institution. The beginning of every new year marks a fresh start, in both your personal and professional life. However, according to a study by the University of Bristol[1], 88% of people who set New Year’s resolutions fail. So why is do we find it so hard to achieve our goals and stick to, making ourselves better people.
Put simply, we are often unrealistic with our goals, we make them too hard for us to achieve and therefore we give up.
We have put together a list on how to make your resolutions realistic and stick to them.
- Make a master plan – Instead of just selecting one or two resolutions make up a list of what you want to accomplish in 2017 and plan how you can achieve these. After all you wouldn’t start a business without a business plan and actions that you need to take along the way to get to your goal.
- Think, are the goals achievable? – There is no point writing down a goal if there is no feasible chance that you can achieve it. It is pointless and will make you disheartened. Start small and build up. Remember SMART Goals – (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results, Timely) I am sure that you use these types of goals in your work life, the same can be applied to your personal life as well, setting mini-goals along the way will break down your bigger ones making you feel less overwhelmed.
- Use Technology – Why not use an app to record and measure your goals, but remember to use them. If one of your goals is to lose weight and get fit, you may download an app to log your calories and activity, but that is just one part of it, you need to get up off the sofa and go for a run or that gym class, the app alone isn’t going to make you thin!
- The Power of the positive ‘NO’ – You do not always need to say yes to everything, one of the most common things people fear is saying no, but in order to be our most productive from time to time we must say no giving you time to focus on existing commitments. For example; outsource or delegate any work that prevents you from achieving your goals or distracts you from your core area of work.
If you follow these simple rules and ensure that your resolutions are SMART and not vague then you are less like to break them.
It is also important to remember not to over commit yourself so make sure that your resolutions and manageable and fit in with your lifestyle.
[1] Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year’s_resolution