By Oluwatosin Maliki
Millions globally make New Year resolutions for positive change, but the challenge lies in follow-through. To assist, we have compiled practical steps reflecting common themes: health, fitness, finances, and personal/professional growth. Follow these 10 steps for your 2024 New Year resolutions:
1. Mentally Prepare for Change
This is the first baby step you need to take. It helps to change the way you think and habits to stop that might be a stumbling block to your progress. So before diving head-first into your New Year goals, it is important to take a step back and get ready for that impending change.
Make sure you always revisit your resolutions so as to keep you in track, while staying positive and trying not to make big/quick changes. While in the process, allow a little room for error as no one is perfect.
2. Set a Goal That Motivates You
When setting a goal for yourself, ensure it is coming from your heart. You would be surprised how often people set goals that are not for themselves. These goals could be dictated to or coerced by a manager, spouse, or parental/peer pressure.
To do this, you need to make sure the goal you set is important to you and that there is value or benefit for you in achieving the goal. These two things would help fuel your determination, providing the reason and willingness to take action. This is simply known as motivation!
3. Limit Resolutions to a Manageable Amount
You must be realistic with your goals. Often times, a lot of people make this mistake. Setting too many goals might be the starting point for failure.
All you need to do is make a short list prioritizing your resolutions, which you know you can manage.
4. Be Specific
This one is very important. When it comes to setting resolutions, it is very easy to set bad goals which could lead to poor follow-through.
Fortunately, the SMART goal-setting framework can help you craft better goals.
SMART goals are:
Specific – Articulate the resolution as clearly as possible. For example, quitting smoking is better than being healthy. While “being healthy” is great, the wording can be interpreted in many ways.
Measurable – Quantify your resolution if possible. For instance, I will lose 10% of my body weight.
Attainable – Choose a goal within the realm of possibility yet challenging. Making 100 friends this year would be amazing, but probably pretty hard to do. On the other, making 10 new friends is doable.
Relevant – Keep it relevant to your priorities and goals.
Time-sensitive – you must give yourself a time frame in which to achieve a goal. A deadline will instill some urgency and provide a time when you can celebrate your success.
5. Break up Big Goals into Smaller Goals
We have the amazing ideas and good intentions, but may accidentally take on a goal that is too big to achieve. So, it is helpful to divide a big goal into smaller goals that are more achievable.
The idea is basically to divide these big tasks into smaller more management accomplishments. Chunking up a big goal is easier said than done.
6. Write Down Your Goals
It is important to document your goals; they are easy to forget. Writing down your resolutions helps you clarify what it is you want to achieve. It forces you to make decisions and be precise with your words.
When in doubt, refer to the goals you have set to dictate the way forward. Your written goals spur you forward when you hit a speed bump or obstacle. It helps you keep track of your progress and celebrate your achievements.
7. Share Your Resolutions with Others
It is good to make a resolution for yourself and share it with a clear family member. There is a high possibility you might easily forget about or even ignore it if you do not tell anyone. When you do not achieve it, no one will notice or care.
The good thing is, if you decide to tell someone about your goal, you will feel a sense of obligation and accountability. Essentially, if you do not follow through, they will feel let down.
8. Automate Where Possible
You can use technology to your advantage. We have automation devices every where, your mobile phone is one, even your smart watch. There are millions of different apps and services to help you follow through on your resolutions.
Google Calendar: Set a recurring meeting tied to your resolution, i.e. scheduling workout sessions at the gym.
Reminders (on iOS): Set up timed alerts for tasks.
Also, you can write a “to-do list” and task management apps that have the ability to schedule reminders and milestones.
9. Review Your Resolutions Regularly
The truth is, if you are not thinking about your resolution regularly, you will end up not following through. Thus, a crucial part of realizing your goal is a regular review.
At a minimum, this review should be monthly, but the more frequent, the better. Here is one way to build goal review into your routine;
Schedule a monthly “big picture” review during the first week of each month. This will serve as a planning meeting where you distribute smaller tasks and goals to different weeks throughout the month.
Do a weekly check-in to check progress on the monthly goal and set a daily reminder for smaller resolution tasks.
It may seem a little daunting to think about your resolution every single day, but it can be achieved.
10. If You Fall Off Track, Get Back on Quick
Rome was not built in a day. We know that making big changes in your life will not come easy and it will take time for your resolution to become a reality. We have already established we should leave some room for mistakes and setbacks.
The key is to avoid fear at all costs and boost your attitude with encouraging words like “I can do it”.
If there is a setback, it is important to understand what led to that moment and how you can improve and avoid a similar situation in the future.
Therefore, think of resolutions as your personal cheerleader, fostering accountability and ownership. Setting goals crea
tes a structure for staying motivated and disciplined, paving the way for success in 2024