Have you broken your New Year’s resolution yet? Here are three simple steps to make you follow through your resolutions for 2015.
Every year, millions of people make their New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, join the gym, fall in love, save money and so forth. According to the research conducted by University of Scranton, top 10 New Year’s resolutions for 2014 were:
1. Lose Weight
2. Getting Organized
3. Spend Less, Save More
4. Enjoy Life to the Fullest
5. Staying Fit and Healthy
6. Learn Something Exciting
7. Quit Smoking
8. Help Others in Their Dreams
9. Fall in Love
10. Spend More Time with Family
However, looking at the survival curves, about 75 percent of resolvers will be successful for one week, and then the success rate just gradually drops down to about 40 to 46 percent at six months.
In case you have already fallen off the New Year’s resolution wagon, the research suggests that you should not be worried. In fact, people who turned out to be the most successful resolvers slipped as early as in January. However, what made all the difference was that they picked themselves up. In fact, 71 percent of successful resolvers said their first slip had actually strengthened their efforts. They recommitted themselves to the resolution after a slip.
Have you broken your New Year’s resolutions yet? Here are three practical steps to help you follow through your resolutions list for 2015. If you take a moment to go through each one of them, it will help you put your goals in motion and strengthen your chances for success.
Set Attainable Goals
Lists will not hold you accountable unless you have your desired goals stated clearly and with a specific deadline. Instead of making a broad list of goals, state exactly what it is you want. Set a new standard for this year by being specific about what is it you want to achieve. If in the past, you had an experience in setting the goals that did not stick, pace yourself. Instead of saying I will exercise 7 days per week, start with going 3 times to the gym. Pick one activity to which you will commit and assign an exact day and the time in a week for it.
Set the goals that are important to you and have a meaningful reason why they matter to you. What kind of achievements would make 2015 the year of your life?
Have an Action Plan
Without having a specific action plan, it is quite likely you will fail. What usually works is to break the year into four trimesters and then assign specific goals to each one of them.If the two resolutions were related then it would make sense to group them together. Map out an action plan and identify specific steps for each of your goals.
Early phase slips may be a sign that you just need to modify your action plan. Be open and flexible in an early stage so you can find the plan that works best for you. Even if you are an overachiever, take the smaller steps that will not overwhelm you and will allow your goal to come to fruition at a natural pace.
Track Your Progress
When it comes to execution of difficult tasks, research shows that people perform much better in teams than on their own. Find someone to hold you accountable and help you stay on track. For example, you can have a personal trainer, a nutritionist, or just a family member with whom you would check in every week and compare the notes on progress. Most importantly, enjoy what you are doing. Have a great year!
What are your resolutions for this holiday season? Share it online with everyone by tweeting to @novakfoundation
