top of page

How To Make Your New Year's Resolutions Achievable

Happy January 1st!!


Every year, the vast majority of us make New Year's Resolutions that we stick to for a couple of weeks, maybe a month, but then we loose track and get to the end of the year wondering what happened to the New Year's Resolutions we made.


So to kick start January 2021, I wanted to share with you some tips on how you can make your New Year's Resolutions not just achievable but resolutions that you can stick to.


Tip 1 - SMART Goals


Perhaps the reason why you aren't achieving your goals is because you're not making them SMART. The acronym SMART stands for:


Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Relevant

Time-Based


If the resolutions you have set yourself isn't all of these things then this could be the reason why you're not achieving them as you are setting resolutions that don't align with you or you're not giving yourself a deadline. Resolutions don't necessarily have to be for a full year either: you could set them to achieve in 1 month, 3 months - whatever works best for you.


Tip 2 - Plan, Plan, Plan


Benjamin Franklin once said “By Failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” therefore you always need a plan when setting resolutions. If you don't have a plan, how are you meant to know your direction and action plan to achieve your resolution?


Therefore set up a plan by working backwards from your end resolution to where you are now and use this as a stepping stone to get you to where you want to be.


Tip 3 - Anticipate Problems


Be prepared in case something messes up your plan. If you're called into work on your day off, prepare for this and make adjustments. If your car breaks down on the way to the gym, again anticipate this and think of a back up plan.


Once you have your back up plans, you are more prepared for the 'what if's' and can plan accordingly


Tip 4 - Pick Your Date


In previous years I have been guilty of setting New Year's Resolutions and taking action on 1st January and I know for a lot of people, the New Year is viewed as a fresh start.


But who says you have to start your resolutions on January 1st? Why not decide on a date that works well for you?Perhaps you are training for a sporting event so you may want to start your resolution of training for 16 weeks before the event date.


Be flexible with your start date and fit it in with what works for your lifestyle. There are no set rules.

Tip 5 - Goal Alignment


Only pick resolutions that align with who you are and what you want to achieve in life. There is little point choosing resolutions that everyone is doing and thinking "I think I can do this" when in fact it doesn't align with you as a person at all.


You will only feel motivated to achieve your resolutions if they align with you and link to you as a person. Therefore have a really good think and set yourself resolutions that you know you want to achieve.


Tip 6 - Rewards


The mind loves to be rewarded and feeds off of positive reinforcement therefore ensure you have something at the end of completing your resolution that you can look forward to and help you stay motivated to complete your resolution.


You could even give yourself rewards after completing milestones in your resolution journey to keep spirits and motivations high.


Tip 7 - Commit


Set your resolutions and commit. You will never complete your resolutions if you just talk about completing them and don't take any action. Action is what will push you forward and excel your resolution journey to completion.


So change your phone wallpaper, create a vision board, write a plan, remind yourself daily of your resolutions and how you will get there, visualise! Do whatever you can to take action and smash your resolution.


Tip 8 - Learn from Mistakes


In comparison to this, we all go off track and lose sight of what we're aiming for but one bad day doesn't mean your resolution is over. Reflect and look back on what made you go off track and how you can learn from it to prevent it from happening again.


If you have a bad day just know that tomorrow is a new day and that your one bad day doesn't write the future days we have.


So I hope this post has made you feel motivated and inspired to set new resolutions and has given you a clear guideline in how you can make resolutions that are achievable.


To go along side this blog post I have created a resolutions template which I hope you will find useful for tracking and planning out your resolutions. You can download the template here

 

In the month of January I will be sharing with you 31 blog posts to get you in the 'New Year, New Me' spirit and to give you some motivational vibes to have your best year yet!


Let me know in the comments if you have any future blog post suggestions that you would like me to create for you :)


See you tomorrow for a sparkling new post!


Follow Me on Instagram:

lifeful_lifestyle - main blogging account - quotes, blog content, inspiring and motivating you in your daily life

lifeful_fitness - day in the life of a runner training of a marathon, exercise tips, mindset strategies

lifeful_books - a book club to motivate you to read more, to feel part of a community and other bookish content

Follow Me on Facebook:

Lifeful Lifestyle​

bottom of page