5 Life Hacks to Actually Accomplish Your New Year’s Resolutions
How many times have you made New Year's resolutions? And, how many times have you actually accomplished those resolutions? If it is rarely to never, don’t worry. You’re far from alone! In fact, only about 8% of those who make resolutions actually keep them.
Use these life hacks to make sure you’re a part of the 8% who actually accomplish what they set out to do this year.
Start with SMART resolutions
The first step to actually achieving your resolutions in 2020 is setting the right kind of goals. For example, if your resolution this year is to get healthy, how are you going to meet that goal? A vague goal like “getting healthy” could mean anything from exercising more, eating better, getting more sleep, managing your stress, and on and on. With huge goals like this, it’s easy to get overwhelmed before you even start. So, how can you set yourself up for success?
Start with the right kind of goals. Here’s the fix in an easy-to-remember acronym coined by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Specific- Define your resolution to a very narrow scope.
Measurable- Make sure you can check in and quantify your results.
Achievable- Set a goal that’s is within your grasp, given the time and energy you have available.
Relevant- Resolve to do something in 2020 that solves a problem you’re facing in your life
Time-bound- Set a time limit (hey, maybe 365 days?).
Returning to our example, instead of setting a goal to “get healthy” in 2020, resolve to run a 5k by a certain date. This is a narrowly-defined goal that you can focus on achieving by your deadline. Because it’s a SMART goal you know exactly what you need to do to be successful and you can start taking steps to achieve your 2020 resolutions... instead of spending time and effort on a nebulous goal that’s hard to achieve (and even harder to measure!)
Write it down
Once you determine what your SMART resolutions for 2020 are, don’t forget to write them down! Writing it down takes your resolution from bouncing around in your head and brings it into the real world. Put it somewhere you’ll see every day so you can keep your goal, and what you need to do to achieve it, top of mind.
Think about why you are making this resolution
This tip is right out of our own Studywise guide and is a great way to use how your brain functions to your advantage. Take a minute to think about why your resolution is important to you (bonus points if you write it down!).
When you attach personal importance or strong emotions to your goal, it helps your brain remember that goal so you can actually accomplish it. If you get discouraged or distracted, come back to why your resolution is important to you and use it to stay on track as the months roll along.
Don’t keep your resolution a secret
Talking openly about areas you want to improve yourself can be scary. But, don’t let fear keep you from the benefits of sharing your goals with others! Talking openly about your resolutions for 2020 can help give you the motivation you need to keep working towards your goals whether you share on social media, talk to your friends, or family. Maybe you even have similar resolutions and can work on achieving them together. It’s tough to keep yourself motivated to accomplish a big goal, and enlisting family or friends to join in will help you keep your good streak going and have fun while doing it!
Celebrate your milestones
Big resolutions take a lot of time and energy to accomplish, and you’re going to need some encouragement to keep going the distance. Break your big goals down into smaller, measurable steps that you can complete along the way. And, make sure that you celebrate the milestones you reach! Get yourself a treat or make time for a favorite activity and reward yourself for all the hard work you’ve done to help your brain stay motivated to keep persevering on your self-improvement journey.
As you work on making your resolutions a reality this year don’t forget to let go of perfection! You will make some missteps along the way. You may even need to adjust your goals, and that is ok! Learn from your mistakes and use them to inform your choices moving forward. Stay focused on why you made your resolutions and making a little progress every day.
A perfect way to get started planning out your goals this year is downloading our important dates calendar for internists or pediatricians. We’ve gathered all the dates you’ll need to keep top of mind this year to help save you time and start 2021 out on the right foot.
