11 Tricks for Sticking to Your Resolutions
With the start of a new year, we all want to improve ourselves. But if past experience has taught us anything, most of those resolutions will go out the window by February. After the sparkles have been vacuumed up and the glittery favors have been all passed out, use one (or all) of these tips to keep the momentum going throughout 2015. Whether you want to learn a new DIY skill or get your butt in shape, we’ve got you covered.
1. Make It Public: Blogger Grace Bonney offers her own tip for keeping resolutions: Make them public. It’s a little more difficult to back out on your promises when all 100 of your Instagram followers know what they are. (via Design Sponge)
2. Set One Specific Goal: Resolutions are different than life goals, so don’t make the mistake of confusing the two. If you make your resolution a single, specific goal, it’ll be less overwhelming and much easier to accomplish. For example, instead of vowing to lose weight, decide to lose five pounds by March. (via Psychology Today)
3. Gretchen Rubin’s Tips and Tricks: The author of The Happiness Project keeps a very handy blog on making good habits and actually keeping them. Check out her website to find out more about resolution charts, or preorder her new book, Better Than Before, coming out in March. (via Gretchen Rubin)
4. Track Your Progress With Wunderlist: This app lets you set tasks and then makes your phone remind you regularly to accomplish these tasks. It’s pretty difficult to neglect your resolutions when your phone keeps dinging at you. (Free on iOS and Android)
5. Make Your Resolution a Habit: It’s actually much easier to form new habits than it is to accomplish one major goal. Our brains struggle to conjure up the amount of willpower it takes to stick to tough resolutions. Instead, if you focus on accomplishing one small thing a day, such as eating a banana, you’re well on your way to a healthier diet. (via Buffersocial)
6. Download an App: Getting in shape can be as simple as downloading an app. Okay, okay, then you actually have to use the app, but still. With apps like Spitfire, you don’t even have to get dressed and drive to the gym to get beach-body ready. (via Brit + Co)
7. The WOOP Method: This is where a good notebook might come in handy. If you can’t help but make your 2015 resolution a big one, then tackle it using the WOOP method. Outline your Wish, or what you really want, then consider the Outcome, or what ideally would happen. Then outline the Obstacles that will get in the way, and come up with a Plan to overcome them. (via NY Mag)
8. Buddy Up: The easiest way to stick to your resolutions? Make them with a friend. You’ll each hold yourself accountable for sticking to the plan, and no one wants to let down their bestie. (via Motivation Grid)
9. Adapt One Small Change: Even if resolutions aren’t your thing, adapting a small change can be effective in making 2015 even better than 2014. Standing more while working or even taking longer to consider what you’re posting on social media are simple ways to live more consciously and healthily. (via Entrepreneur)
10. Be Honest With Yourself: The most obvious trick for keeping your resolutions might also be the most difficult. When setting goals, you have to be honest with yourself, or else you’ll just end up disappointed. Think about the real reasons behind the things you wish to accomplish, because tackling those issues might make keeping your resolutions even easier. (via Thought Catalog)
11. Chris Guillebeau’s Yearly Review: Chris Guillebeau, author of $100 Startup and The Art of Noncomformity, knows a thing or two about accomplishing big goals. His secret? He conducts a yearly review, looking at what issues he has in each category of his life, from family and friends to career and spirituality, and then sets his goals in response to these problems. It’s a deep dive, but well worth the time and energy. (via Forefront Magazine)
What resolutions have you made for 2015? Make them public in the comments below!
