New Year Resolutions – Five Strategies That Work
New Year Resolutions – Five Strategies That Work
December 12, 2020 Personal Development
When it comes to New Year resolutions, so many people fail at keeping them that it’s a surprise that anyone still bothers to make them in the first place. According to research, 80% of people give up on their New Year resolutions by February. That’s right, four out of five people will drop their grand aspirations for a better life just 30 days into the year.
What’s even more striking is the fact that only 8% of people end up accomplishing the goals they’ve set out for themselves in January. Depressing stats, aren’t they? Almost worse than the odds of England ever winning the World Cup again.
But what if there was a better way? A way to improve the odds of actually getting to the finish line? To break out of the vicious cycle of “set-fail-give-up” that seems to hound most people? And to actually have fun along the journey instead of feeling like a total loser? As it turns out, there is. And surprisingly, the primary component in the secret sauce is actually taking it easier on yourself. So if you are looking to make 2021 the year when you finally buck the trend, read on.
How To Finally Hack Your New Year Resolutions
Strategy #1: Stage Them
Over the years, I’ve come to understand one important thing about resolutions (and life more generally).
If you try to do everything at the same time, you will most likely fail.
After all, if you had to run a 10k race, would you just go for it right off the bat? Or would you stretch, warm up, and break into a slow jog first before finding your stride? New Year resolutions are no different. Yet for some mysterious reason, January 1st will see millions of people wake up and attempt to make a drastic U-turn in their lifestyle.
In doing so, they are setting themselves up for an inevitable disappointment. Life simply doesn’t work this way.
Next year, try something different. Let’s say your three resolutions are to start going to the gym four days a week, to lose 10 pounds, and to stop smoking. Sorry to break the bad news, but if you try to go for it guns blazing on January 1st, you will fail. You can have the willpower of a Tibetan monk and you still won’t get there. Instead, try something different. Pick one resolution – just one – and focus 100% of your energy and efforts on it for the first three months.
That’s right. Forget about trying to lose weight. Keep on smoking as much as your heart desires. But whatever you do, make sure to stick to your gym routine as if your life depended on it.
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