Some people want to start over at the beginning of the year and have therefore made New Year’s resolutions. From the classic “I’ll quit smoking” to more personal alternatives like “I want to call my mother once a week,” there’s everything.
However, the road to achieving the set goals is sometimes long and rocky. Wanting to change one’s habits always presupposes that one has to be willing to make corresponding concessions for the resolutions. New Year’s resolutions often fail as soon as the daily routine has caught up with you again.
This annual throwing over the heap of good intentions would not be necessary. Experience has shown that it only takes 21 days for the body and psyche to get used to the new circumstances and processes. So don’t even hold out for a month and you’ve put the worst phase behind you.
We present ten very simple tricks that will help you to easily overcome this first dry spell and not only to tackle your New Year’s resolutions, but also to implement them and integrate them permanently into your life.
1. Realize the day
Realize that January 1st is just a day. You don’t need exactly New Year’s Day to start your New Year’s resolutions. Focusing too much on that day will only increase the pressure on you. Instead, choose a day when you are rested, 100 percent motivated and feeling ready. If this day falls on 1.1. falls, that’s a nice coincidence, but not a must.
2. Reduce your choices
Of course there is always a lot that you want to change about yourself. In the worst case, too many resolutions at once can lead to failure in all areas and only cost you unnecessary energy. Instead, focus on one or two resolutions that you really care about. Set yourself goals that are really realistic. With a limited selection, you can pay full attention to each goal and experience success much more easily. For example, you can also think about which areas of life you would like to improve on instead of starting something completely new. It is simply important that the chosen goals are personally relevant to you and that you can identify with them.
3. Stick to your resolutions
Put your good intentions in writing in some form. What is recorded in writing immediately gains more importance and is therefore more binding. You can even sign a written contract with yourself that describes what your goals are and how you want to achieve them. Such methods of writing make resolutions more real than if they only existed in the head.
4. Keep your resolutions handy
Write each resolution again separately on a piece of paper, Post-It, or a card. Place these cards in such a way that you can take a look at them from time to time. The bathroom mirror, the wallet or the inside of the front door are good examples of this. This repeated visualization will remind you of your good intentions at regular intervals and will give you a boost of motivation because you will always be aware of why you are changing your habits.
5. Start with 100 percent
Throw yourself into a new task with 100 percent from the start. There’s no point telling yourself that you’d rather start off easy and then put in more effort as the year progresses. There is then a slight danger of remaining at the initial level. Before you begin, be very clear about what you want to achieve, how you will get there, and what that requires of you. Of course, as a sports amateur, you can’t run a marathon right from the first day – that’s not the point and purpose of the thing. It’s more about approaching your goals with enthusiasm and bringing enough momentum with you for the first few weeks.
6. Plan for problems
As I said: The road to fulfilling good intentions is often hard, rocky and not easy. It can quickly happen that you reach your limits, don’t feel like it anymore and then want to smoke a cigarette or eat a bar of chocolate. Prevent such relapses as much as possible by planning for these problems. To start, make a list of the most likely complications you might encounter. Right next to it, jot down proactive solutions that align with your resolutions. Keep in mind why these problem situations can arise and what you can do about them. If you recognize such possible hurdles in advance, it will be easier to overcome them later in the real situation.
7. Use positive language
Use positive language when thinking or talking about your resolutions. Instead of saying, “I don’t feel like going to the gym,” say, “I always feel so much better after a gym workout.” Combine your resolution or your activity with a positive (body) feeling, then it will be much easier for you to motivate yourself again and again.
8. Get support on board
“A sorrow shared is a sorrow halved” – seek support in a variety of forms. Tell your family and friends what your plans are. On the one hand you will always find an open ear for your problems and on the other hand you motivate yourself because you don’t want to disappoint your loved ones with failure. Another good option is to specifically look for people or groups who have the same intentions and goals. These people are most likely to understand what you are going through and what is going on inside you. Exchanging and sharing difficulties and problems, but also successes, spurs you on and confirms your decision. Such support systems can also be found online in a wide variety of variations.
9. Create a report
Track your progress. It doesn’t matter whether this is done via an app (e.g. Goal Tracker & Habit List for Android and iOS) or by hand. With so-called “tracking”, it is important that you record where you are with your project every day. Visualizing your progress not only keeps you right in front of your eyes on how much you’ve already accomplished, but more importantly, how Good you mastered this one. You will strive to keep the success curve positive and will be reassured and motivated again and again.
10. Plan for rewards
Small rewards are good motivators to overcome more difficult dry spells. Choose a small reward based on your preferences and interests. Of course always with regard to your resolutions – you shouldn’t treat yourself to a cigar if you want to quit smoking. How about a magazine or a visit to the cinema, for example? Start with these little rewards weekly: Reward yourself once for every week you last. After a while, switch to a monthly reward system until you finally switch to an annual reward entirely. Choose something as a reward that you look forward to and are happy to persevere with.
And finally: Be happy and celebrate your success!
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