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4 Tips for Sticking to Your Resolutions

Balanced • January 2, 2018

New year. New resolutions. But will we stick to them this year?

Here are four tips for helping you stay true to you.

Start by making it a habit. Habits take about 21 days to form. If you stay true to trying to achieve your goals for at least 21 days, keeping up the habit after that should be as easy as pie… well, easier anyway!

Set specific achievements. Sometimes we make resolutions that follow the trends in society – to be healthier; to exercise more; to join a gym. But, it will be far easier to stick to your goals if they are personal, and specific, to you. To set a specific goal, try thinking of those things that cause you to feel anxious when the do or don’t happen as planned. If falling behind on your work causes stress, resolve to set a goal of creating a daily time keeper tracker to help you more proactively manage your projects. This makes the goal specific to you and directly helps to address a negative feeling you have. This correction will make you feel better, and you will be more likely to stick to it as a result.

Create SMART goals. SMART is an acronym that can help us manage our personalized goals:

Specific. Make the goals as specific as possible to increase the likelihood of seeing it through.
Measurable. Make the goals measurable so that you are able to see the progress you are making along the way.
Attainable. Making the goals realistic and something you can attain helps to keep you on track without feeling stressed out while trying to achieve them.
Realistic. Make the goals realistic and your progress will follow suite. For example, if you’re not an avid gym goer, try committing yourself to going three times a week, and go from there. You can work your way up to what is realistic for you – what fits in with your lifestyle.
Timely. Set a time frame for your goals. This is another opportunity to be realistic. Be sure to give yourself appropriate guidelines to realistically accomplish your goals.

Finally, don’t fret if you stray from your goal occasionally.

It’s part of human nature and the society we live in. We all get busy. Life has a way of interjecting its own plans, and some days that might mean not finding the time to go to the gym or prepare that healthy meal you were planning. It’s OK to slip on your resolutions occasionally… just don’t make it a habit!

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