I remember when I used to ask myself “Why do I even bother setting resolutions if I never keep them?” I think quite a few of us have asked ourselves this question. I mean, in theory, resolutions/intentions/goals are a great way to help us move forward in any area of our lives, or so we’ve been told. Unfortunately (heh) they only work if we actually carry them out.
My practical experience is that this practice is quite useful. We can see growth in many areas of life when we make and try to stick to, resolutions. Since we are all about growth ’round these parts, I thought I’d share some tips I’ve picked up on keeping resolutions all throughout the year:
1. Always return to your “why.” If something isn’t important enough to us, we tend to throw it out of the metaphorical window at the first sign of “I’m-not-really-feeling-itis.” When we are clear on our reasons and they are important to us, they help to keep us on track.
2. Don’t try to do everything at once. I have been so guilty of this. It’s as if I was bitten by some kind of self-improvement bug, which results in a grandiose fancy where I wake up on January 2nd as my dream self. As we say in Trinidad, “it doh wuk so.” Choose a couple changes that are relatively easy to implement, try those for a few weeks, and when you feel like you’ve gained some consistency, make a few more changes. You have the entire year to accomplish these resolutions, so you don’t need to pack them all into the first few months.
3. Don’t make the maximum your starting point. It’s so tempting, when you have a goal like “Read for one hour every day,” to start off by…aiming to read for one hour every day (although you previously didn’t have any kind of regular reading habit). I find it easier, and less frustrating, to start with a minimum, and then work my way up. So, for example, start with 15 minutes, or with 3 days per week. Then, you notice it’s easier to be consistent, you can gradually increase, implement, get accustomed to, and repeat, until you reach the goal. So, set a minimum, and work your way up to the ideal (your maximum).
4. Break larger goals or projects into smaller sections. Then schedule deadlines for each smaller section. I can’t speak for you, but the feeling of accomplishment helps to drive me forward. So, instead of waiting until the distant end of one large project to feel accomplished, I break it into logical, reasonable smaller projects. That way, when I complete each smaller piece, I know I have made clear progress.
5. Schedule time to work towards your resolutions and do regular check-ins. Whether you plan every day, week or month, you need to decide when you will work on your resolutions. Do you want to cook more often instead of ordering food? When will you do it? Is there a new daily habit you want to develop? When during the day will you practice it?
6. Entrust your goals and resolutions to God. As a Catholic Christian, I want Him to be with me and guide me as I journey through life and work towards becoming the best version of myself.
7. Design systems to help you succeed. There is so much information out there about how to implement new habits (like the book “Atomic Habits” by James Clear). Strategies like habit stacking, calendar-blocking etc can help set you up for success. Even simple actions like laying out what you need from the night before can help set you up for success the next day.
8. Track and celebrate your progress. Listen, I get it. I want to do everything perfectly the first time, and every time. Do you see that shiny,, new habit I’m trying to develop? I want to see myself doing it every day from the first week! But that doesn’t always happen, and sometimes, when it doesn’t, I get so discouraged that I give up (how dramatic!). Instead, if I can see that maybe in the first two weeks, I did the action twice, and then I increased to three times, I can celebrate progress. When we can see via a habit tracker that we are making slow, but steady progress, it can encourage us to keep going.
9. Review and tweak where necessary. It’s always good to stop and examine how any process unfolds, and this is true for self-improvement too.
10. Give yourself grace if/when you fall off the wagon.
What kind of progress have you made towards your goals? Do you have any advice on how to keep your resolutions? Feel free to share it in the comments below. I hope you find at least one of these tips useful.
Peace, love and sparkles,
The Unicorn of Awesomeness
Shespeaksandwrites 