When the new year comes in, there’s a lot of buzz around new years resolutions. But new year’s resolutions can be hard to keep. After a much-needed holiday break, we’re often overly ambitious at the start of the year, setting outlandish, unachievable goals that we want to accomplish in the next 12 months.
But just because new year’s resolutions can be complicated doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make them. Goal setting is a great way to progress professionally and personally, which is why we’re big advocates for goal setting and creating achievable resolutions.
Here are some tips to ensure you achieve your new year’s resolutions and accomplish your goals.
1. Put Your Resolutions on Paper
Writing down your new years resolutions on paper makes them concrete. You can keep looking back at them to remind yourself about what you want to achieve in the year to come.
You can even display your new year’s resolutions in your office or in your diary. This constant reminder will help keep you in the right mindset and help you remember what’s important to you.
It can also be useful to review your goals every month to check they still align with your overall intention.
2. Be Realistic
If your goals are too hard, you’ll become demotivated and won’t be able to achieve them. This is why creating goals using the SMART method is so popular.
So why not use the same technique for your new year’s resolutions?
SMART goals allow you to create solid, measurable goals that you can realistically achieve.
3. Create a Plan that Includes Sub-Goals
Sometimes goals are difficult or may seem overwhelming. If you want to accomplish something bigger, it can be useful to create sub-goals or an outline.
This way you can identify what small things you need to do in order to reach your big goal. And you won’t be scrambling to accomplish your resolution in December.
For example, if you want to move to a new office space, you need to first figure out your needs, your budget, your ideal location and explore your options.
4. Reward Yourself
When you achieve something, celebrate it. Whether it’s small victories or big victories, rewards are a great way to keep motivated and actually reach your goal.
It can be something like a trip to the spa, a sweet treat, spending time with friends and family or taking one of your leave days to do nothing. But make sure your reward doesn’t contradict your resolutions.
Psst… did you know with Cube you get member discounts at Life Day Spa and other awesome partners…
5. Track your Progress
Keep track of all your small successes and track how you get closer to your goal. Create a task list where you can tick things off or create a progress bar that you can colour in every time you get closer.
6. Stick With It
You likely won’t be able to accomplish your new year’s resolution overnight. It can take time, commitment and effort. You’ll need to persevere and have patience.
If you really want to accomplish your goal, stick with it. Remind yourself why you want to achieve it and the benefits it will have. Then keep going.
7. Be Gentle With Yourself
If you have to exhaust yourself or burn out, it might be worth relooking at your goal. Things change during the year and sometimes what you wanted in January isn’t what’s right for you in February.
If you’re struggling with something, be curious as to why. It might not be the right path for you and that’s okay. Be gentle with yourself and then try again.
