Have you been asked the classic turn-of-the-year question yet? You know the one—what are your new year’s resolutions? Maybe a better question is how many times have you been asked it?
Ugh, just thinking about it gives us anxiety. The social pressure of just having one is worse than actually keeping one.
Truthfully, the question has has lost its genuineness and become so trivial. The conversation rarely continues after you have dished your resolutions to the Curious George. It is more like a social obligation to have one than anything.
Like one of those questions—what do you do for fun? You feel as though you have to answer so you end up making one up to suit the conversation but it’s rarely true.
What use is that?
To avoid the bad connotation that resolutions have, we are calling them New Year’s Goals and want to help you create a genuine set for the new year. It’s always good to have goals!
New Year’s Resolutions: Setting Your New Year’s Goals
Proper goal setting takes time. Start by listing anything and everything that pops into your mind. Things like “I’ve always wanted to do this” or “I’ve been wanting to do more or less of that.” Take a few minutes to write them down on a piece of paper.
When setting New Year’s goals, you need to recognize the time commitment each needs. Big goals require big changes.
Lifestyle goals like: use phone less, get outside more, don’t spend as much, eat less sweets, and eat more greens are all big goals. They seem to be small due to their simplicity but they will take a lot of effort.
For example, say that you are typically on your phone a lot, mindlessly scrolling through your social media feeds and you vow to yourself that you will use your phone less and be more present in the moment.
Because using your phone is such a big part of your daily life, it will take some serious mental restraint and stamina not to pick it up. And you mustn’t quit!
When setting your New Year’s resolutions this year, think about how often you will need to do (or not do) something and what you are going to do instead. This includes foreplanning — bring a book with you, meditate, listen to music, start a conversation with the person next to you, people-watch, etc.
We know it is not going to be easy. Let’s face it, nothing that is worth it is easy.
The take-away here is to be realistic with yourself and set realistic goals.
Interested in bettering yourself and your health this year? Related blog posts:
Healthy Meal Prep for a Busy Work Week
5 Tips to Take Care When Work Gets Busy
New Year’s Resolutions: Vetting Your New Year’s Goals
Remember the list of goals you wrote down? Pull that back out again. The next step is vetting.
As these are New Year’s goals, they are restricted to being completed within the year. Cross out any goals that are on your 5 year plan or that do not apply to the 1 year restriction for any reason.
We also believe that you should not have more than 3 goals. Truthfully, having (and meeting) 1 goal would be a triumph. Do not spread yourself too thin. Committing to too many goals risks not meeting them and then what’s the point?
New Year’s Resolutions: Meeting Your New Year’s Goals
The third step is to set up a plan to meet your new found goals.
According to researchers from the University of College London (UCL), a habit takes an average 66 days to form (or break).
66 days.
That is just over 2 months of doing something (or not doing something) every day for it to become second nature.
Do not overlook the word “average” either. For some it can take less time and for others, it can take much longer.
With that in mind, how do you feel about your phone usage goal?
The key is consistency. To meet your goals, you need to be consistent.
Do not be discouraged if you miss a day. It happens to the best of us. Just be strong-willed enough to start back up again!
In the words of Carol Burnett: “Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.”
It is one thing to make up a resolution and pretend it is real. It is an entirely other thing to really want the change and put the effort forth to make it happen. We believe in you and know you can do what you set your mind to.
You go girl!
Related blog posts:
Healthy Meal Prep for a Busy Work Week
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