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It’s a few weeks away before 2022. I can barely digest what happened in 2020/21 with the pandemic and all and yet again we are on the verge of another new year.
They said new year, new me, right? It is a time where most of us pledge to be better by creating the new year resolutions.
Remember your 2020-2021 New Year’s Resolution? Me neither.
Every year, I will create the new year resolution striving to be a better version of myself, but sadly it only lasts until March (or the end of January of the same year). And I believe this problem is not only happening to me, but it also happened to everyone.
According to a recent poll by YouGov, only a half of the Americans stuck to their new year resolutions till the end of the year
Why does this thing keep on happening? And how we can make a difference this time around to make the resolutions stick till the end?
One of the reasons is that we rely greatly on willpower and motivation. Not that I say we don’t need willpower and motivation. We need it. It just dies down very quickly, and we resorted to going back to our old selves in just a few weeks in the new year.
So, rather than focusing on willpower, let’s create the new year resolutions that are achievable this year
Here are the 4 simple steps to create the New Year’s resolutions for beginners and actually keep it for the rest of the year!
Let’s dive right in.
Check your last year’s resolutions. What does it look like? Is it something like this:
- Lose weight
- Lead a healthy lifestyle
- Learn something new each day
The main problem with this statement is it is too vague and leads to a lot of interpretation. Often, when it is not specific the chances of not doing it are much higher.
So, how to make it work?
Make it more specific and actionable.
Lose weight | |
Specific | Actionable |
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Lead a healthy lifestyle The statement itself is very vague. What do you mean by a healthy lifestyle? Does it refer to your sleeping pattern, eating habits, or mental health? Do you see? By not being very specific the resolution will just be a wishful thinking | |
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Learn something new each day What is it that you are learning? Is it language? Is it music? Is the timeline doable? | |
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By creating specific, actionable resolutions, we are guiding ourselves on how to achieve the targets much more clearly.
It involved attaching or coupling the relevant habits to that particular goal or target. And how to make the habit stick? James Clear has written it beautifully in his bestselling book, Atomic Habit, the 4 laws of building habits:
- Make it obvious
- Make it satisfying
- Make it easy
- Make it attractive
So, the next time you are creating the resolutions, it doesn’t matter for a new year, your birthday, whatever it is, try to make it specific and actionable.
2. Track the progress
This is another important aspect to make this year’s resolutions works. Tracking the progress. By tracking the progress, it gives the indicator of how successful you are going to be with the resolutions this time.
The tracking process should be the same as how we track our habits. You can use simple apps of habit tracker or just paste a paper on the wall to make it more visible.
For me personally, I prefer to jot it inside my planner or journal so I can review and track it at the same time.
The things with habits (actionable resolutions) are, they need to be done repeatedly before they can be automated and done with minimal frictions. And of course, the first few days are the most difficult.
Take exercise for example. The first few days are the hardest. The muscle is still not familiar with the movement, the stamina is not very good, and it is really torturing (speaking from my own experience). But as we repeat the same exercise each day, slowly we are getting better at it. Our form is better, the breathing is better, and overall, we feel much better right after the workout.
We need time to get better.
Tracking helps visually tell us about the progress over time. It will help us give the boost and motivation that we are on the right track. Often, when we see that we are progressing, the chances for us continuing the actions are way higher.
3. Review and reflects
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links and I may receive a commission if you purchase through them. This is at no additional cost to you.
Another important element in determining how well we are going to stick with the resolutions is by doing reviews and reflections.
To do this, there are two main things that need to be incorporated:
a. The frequency of reflections
Decide how frequently you want to review the progress of the resolutions.
Is it monthly? Every 3 months?
By having a specific timeline, you will be able to hold yourself accountable for the new habit you trying to incorporate into your life.
Personally, I feel the monthly review is necessary. Especially if it’s the new habit that we are trying to form. At the beginning of every month, I will reflect on the past month activities whether it is working or not.
The habit and resolution should work hand in hand. The habit, the action that we repeat day in, and day out will remain the key component of the output, goal, or resolutions.
b. Review the habit tracker
Look at the habit tracker and determine which habits don’t progress. Identify the reason for this. Is it because the action is not specific? Or because you don’t feel the urge to do it? If so, does it mean that the resolution is not something you wanted to achieve?
Modify the action of the resolution accordingly.
The main aim of the reviewing process is to help create the most fitting action plan to reach the desired goal or resolutions.
There are a lot of habit tracker apps and Habitify is one of the best IOS habit trackers app that can help you build daily streaks for your new habit. With its simple UI/UX and flexible features, you’ll be able to review back your progress in the calendar.
4. Change perspective
We need to view the new year’s resolutions as a marathon and not a sprint. Every aspect that we crave to improve requires time, and consistent effort. So, it is okay to take our time and not focus too much on the end goal but rather on the journey of achieving it.
In one of his videos, Ali Abdaal had mentioned that the main reason people procrastinate is that they feel resistance towards something. And the higher the resistance, the more chances that it’s going to be important to achieve.
Well, this is true. We face the resistance of starting the new year, the new me phase with all the resolutions that we create covering all aspects of our life.
Things can get tough. Although we are all inspired and felt like we can take over the world as the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve, we have to understand that we are human. Filled with weakness.
Expect that sometimes, we aspire to be something and do something at certain times, but other times, we are just too tired or just don’t feel like it.
It is not that we are incapable or lazy
It is because we are human.
The faster that we accept the fact that sometimes someday we are not ok with the resolutions that we made, it is completely fine.
It is part of the journey. Just take a break, and tomorrow will be another day.
To get up, move forward, and enjoy the journey again.
This will give us the permission to grow as a human rather than a soulless robot ticking the habit tracker in pursuit of self-improvement.
So, what are your new year’s resolutions this year?
Thank you for the tips! I guess I need to be more specific on my new year’s resolution