10 Tips for Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions

We are more than halfway through January. Are you still on track with any new goal you set for yourself this year? Whether your answer is yes, no, or kind of, it’s always a good idea to set yourself up for success.

Here are 10 tips to help you set and keep your New Year’s Resolutions (or any other goals you have!)

1. Plan Ahead

This is one of the hardest ones for some people. You have a goal and you know you want to achieve it, but who has the time to sit down and plan it all out? You can! One of my favorite quotes to think about when I lack motivation is:

“A dream without a plan is just a wish.”

Don’t just wish for things. Take the time to make it happen!

2. Outline Your Plan

What steps do you need to take to make your goal actually happen? If you want to workout more, do you have a friend you can workout with? Even if you are traveling, can you do a virtual workout with a friend to keep you motivated and accountable?

3. Be Realistic

New Year, New You! Dive right into the biggest and hardest goals, right? Not quite. After the holidays you may think you never want to see or eat another carb, but is that really going to happen? It might make more sense to aim for a low carb diet or choose a set amount of carbs per day you want to eat.

4. Think Long-Term

Sometimes it’s beneficial to take a phased approach to achieving your New Year Resolution’s goal. For instance, say you want to cut back on your daily intake of caffeine. You can have some serious side effects if you completely cut out on caffeine on Day 1, such as headaches, anxiety, and fatigue. Instead, you can take your caffeine down one cup per week over a month to work toward a more sustainable place.

5. Make a Checklist

Now that you have your plan in place and know how you want to accomplish your goal, it’s time to make a checklist of everything you need to get started…and to see it through. Do you want to prepare healthier meals in your truck? What do you need to do to start doing that regularly? It’s not just a grocery list before you hit the road –even though that’s part of it—you also want to look at what you want to cook with. Do you need a travel grill? A crockpot? Seasoning packets because you don’t want bland food? Whatever it is that’s going to help you succeed, put it on the list.

6. Stay Accountable

What will keep you motivated when you hit the wall and want to give up? Is it having a close friend or family member to turn to? A special playlist to make you want to work out? An app that sends you motivational quotes every day? Whatever it is, put it into motion before you hit that wall so you can keep going.

7. Track Your Progress

Sometimes we get too wrapped up in our big goal that it can feel overwhelming. Instead, create smaller milestones that will help you reach your goal. Whether you are taking a phased approach or have one bigger goal, keep track of all your successes along the way. You can do this in a notebook, an app on your phone, or a chart you can pin up on a wall, whichever visual medium works best for you.

8. Forgive Yourself

Change does not happen overnight. Don’t beat yourself up if you slip up and have that piece of cake or miss a workout. Creating long-term change comes from finding balance.

9. Don’t Give Up

Part of why it’s important is to forgive yourself for a slip up is that if you hold on too tight to a mistake, you may be quicker to give up all together. Don’t give up on your goals!

10. Pivot the Method as Needed

If you hit a plateau for your goal or find you are not getting the results you desire, think about changing up your progress. Look back through your progress notes and see when things were working the best. You can always keep moving forward.

What are your New Year’s Resolutions? Are you working toward a professional or personal goal? Or both?