It’s the end of the year. This tends to be a time of reflection, where people think about what the year has brought and what they want to accomplish in the upcoming year. This has led to the common practice of New Year’s resolutions. The problem is that people often find that they do not keep to any of their resolutions, leading them to feeling frustrated. The question now becomes: how do you stick to your resolutions? Here are some tips on how to do so.
Pick one goal/resolution
We call them “resolutions,” when really the first step in ensuring you stick to them is keeping it singular. Choose one resolution (no s)! When you try to work on too many things at once, that can become overwhelming. Making a change or reaching a goal is hard enough, don’t add to that stress by taking on multiple goals at once.
Break it down into small objectives
Once you have a specific goal in mind, map it out into smaller steps that will help you ultimately reach your goal. Then work on each individual objective one by one. Write down your list of objectives, and after you accomplish one, check it off and move on to the next. Visually seeing the steps and checking them off as you go will help keep the goal manageable and keep you motivated.
Strategize
Create a plan for how you will actually start work on each objective. Think about what it really means to put it into action. Set aside time in your schedule to do the things you need for each objective. Plan ahead and think about obstacles that might get in the way and how you can potentially account for that. Sometimes when we encounter roadblocks, it is defeating and might lead to no longer working on the goal at hand. Being as ready as possible to counter such situations will help stop challenges from leading you off course.
List the advantages to reaching the goal
Create a list of all the reasons you want to reach this goal and how it will benefit you. Read it every day. Start this ASAP and don’t only wait until January 1st. This helps to keep you inspired towards working on the goal. By reading the list daily, you can lessen your vulnerability to lose motivation, helping you to push through if you encounter any obstacles or challenges. It is also helpful to review the list in the actual moments when there is a challenge, to stay on track. Sometimes you just need a little reminder of why you are doing something.
Do this all year round
Remember, New Years is not the only time to work on goals. Don’t wait until December to start self-reflecting. Once you reach a goal, go through these steps again with another goal and don’t just wait until it’s time for the next New Year’s resolution.
Alyssa Mairanz, LMHC, DBTC
Alyssa Mairanz provides counseling and therapy services for life transitions, relationship issues, self esteem, depression, anxiety, and DBT and Psychodynamic therapy in a NYC group practice in the Flatiron District near Madison Square Park. She also serves the Village, Chelsea, Union Square, the Financial District and the surrounding areas.
Empower Your Mind Therapy’s mission is to helps our clients build the life they want and find more happiness and satisfaction.
