Prepare To Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions in 2021

After a year like 2020 we may want to scrap New Year’s resolutions all together, or we may be excited to get back to a semblance of normal and begin achieving our goals after such a tumultuous period. It’s almost becoming tradition to set a number of ‘resolutions’ or ‘goals’ in the new year and watch as they fizzle away a few months in. Perhaps next year you would prefer to avoid this scenario and use the year 2021 to rebuild, grow and put in place some great habits for yourself. So often, we decide on New Year’s Resolutions just before the new year, starting them on January 1st but giving ourselves no form of planning or structure to execute them. Planning ahead and setting yourself up for success may be the secret to achieving your resolutions in 2021.

Be realistic
Are you going to want to begin that new exercise regime on January first? Or would It be better to begin these new habits and regimes on a day that is more realistic. Set yourself up for success and that begins by starting on a day that you are likely to achieve that first step.

Further, set yourself realistic goals. Not necessarily something that needs to last all year. Can you break these goals down and even set yourself small targets? Perhaps you would like to achieve something once a month for the whole year. It is easy to start the new year with bundles of optimism, so you set yourself lots of goals, but when it comes to it, these goals are unrealistic to maintain. Prioritize what you really want to achieve and what can easily fit into your schedule (giving yourself free time too). It may be worth sticking to one or two goals only, considering everything else a bonus.

Be SMART
One technique used in many different forms of goal setting and execution is using the SMART technique, which can also ensure that you are being realistic about your resolutions. The SMART acronym stands for: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. Specific can be anything from defining what exactly it is you want to achieve, it is all well and good to say you would like to ‘look better’ but without specificity, this is an open-ended goal. It may also be helpful to break each goal down, making It smaller alongside being specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely.

Plan
The secret to any achievable goal is to plan it. Set yourself out clear guidelines and steps in order to achieve said goal. Once you have defined your SMART goal, you will have a better handle on how you can go about achieving it. If you want to lose 20 pounds by December 2021, this can be better broken down into a realistic exercise pattern, aiming to lose approximately 2 pounds each month (leaving a small buffer for those months where it didn’t happen). If you want to write a novel in a year, again break this down into monthly or even weekly tasks and patterns. Research into how you can best achieve your tasks and plan in time accordingly. Come January 1st you will be better prepared to start slowly tacking your resolutions – remember it is a marathon not a race! Also be open to adjusting your plan as the year goes on, setting reminders for regular ‘review periods’ perhaps bi-monthly. This will allow you to adjust your habits accordingly or even remind you to get back on track should you have lost your way.

Not to mention, planning will help you get into the mindset for changing your habits and chasing your new goals, rather than chucking yourself in the deep-end on January 1st armed only with good intentions.

Commit, encourage and accept failure
Many people swear by the ‘commitment’ method. When you decide on your goal, tell friends and family about it. Discuss your plans and aims and if you are happy to receive feedback, do so. What this does, is set up a sense that other people are now ‘banking’ on you to achieve this goal, and you may be less likely to let it pass you by. Once you have committed to something that you truly want to achieve, it is a lot easier to follow through on it, especially if you have told other people about it. Friends and family may encourage you, but be sure to also encourage yourself, even by repeating positive mantras. You can even set up a ‘reward’ program where you unlock certain treats for yourself when you hit small or large milestones. Overall, the key here is setting yourself up for success. If you face some pitfalls or ‘failures’ along the way, don’t give up but incorporate them into your overall journey. Failure is part of success.