One thing that most people do is make New Year’s resolutions every year. For the most part, they are things that you could realistically stick to. But most of the time we tend to give up on them a few months later.
The main issue is that most people have unrealistic expectations for themselves and set the bar way too high.
Another problem is that you get frustrated early on because you don’t see the result you want right away. That leads many to abandon their New Years’ resolutions early on.
This post is to try and help you identify some of the other reasons you can’t stick to your resolutions.
We will look at ways to keep motivated, track your progress, simplify your goals, and hold yourself accountable. Hopefully, this will help you keep your resolutions and see the results you want.
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Reasons you don’t keep your New Year’s resolutions
There are many reasons why people don’t keep their New Years Resolutions. The main one is that they are too broad with their goals.
Basically, they have the idea that they will lose weight in the new year. But they don’t plan out how to do this. Or they say they will quit smoking this year (guilty here). Again, they don’t plan for doing it.
I know I have the same problems when I try to make a resolution for the new year. I haven’t made one in a few years because I never keep up with them (which is why I decided to write this BTW).
It would always be “I am going to get in shape this year” and would stop after a few weeks because I failed to plan to keep myself going with it.
And would give up.
But I hope that this year will be different. I am making a plan BEFORE the new year that will help me get and stay on track to see results this time around.
The best way to start is to find one thing and build around it.
A good example of this is losing weight. Figure out what you need to do to reach your ideal weight.
If this is one of your goals, I suggest reaching out to your doctor first to have them help you plan out what is best for you.
Find a diet or healthy meal plan that is easy to keep up with and start with a simple exercise plan too.
If you start with small steps it is that much easier to keep yourself going with it and not give up too soon.
Another reason that we don’t always keep our resolutions is that we give up BEFORE we can see any results. New habits can take a long time to develop, depending on what it is.
Remembering to drink more water during the day is easier than quitting smoking. I know the truth about this. I’ve tried many times to quit smoking, it has yet to work.
But I was able to easily drink more water each day just by starting to carry a water bottle everywhere.
The problem is that I always get frustrated and give up just as I get started with getting used to not smoking cigarettes.
So, by using this as an example of how hard a habit is to break the takeaway is to give it time to work for you and you will more likely see the results you want to see.
Ways to get motivated to keep your New Year’s Resolutions
Keeping yourself motivated while trying to reach your goal can be challenging. This, I think is one of the hardest things to do when trying to reach your goals. Just when you start to see progress, you lose the motivation to keep going.
One way to keep track of your progress is to use a habit tracker. They are simple to use and are a great way to track your progress every day.
This is where having a rewards system in place is important. By rewarding yourself it is so much easier to stay motivated to keep going. When you are making your plan keep milestones in mind. So that you can figure out a way to reward yourself.
If your goal is to lose weight, find a reward that works for you. Try to use things that will keep you motivated to go that much further.
As you progress the rewards get bigger for each one. Don’t make the rewards things that will put you farther back from your goal, just things that you normally wouldn’t buy or do for yourself normally.
Things like a Mani/Pedi, a new book, or a piece of jewelry are great examples. You can always do something else too. Just keep the reward as something that you really want so that you work toward it.
Related Reading: Ways to Get Motivated in the Morning and How to Boost Your Self Confidence
What you can do to simplify your New Year’s Resolutions
By simplifying your goals, you make them easier to reach. Instead of just saying “I will get in shape this year” try “I will exercise for 10 minutes each day”. Then when you get comfortable with the 10, bump it up to 15 or 20. That way you are increasing it slowly and don’t get overwhelmed in the begging.
Keeping it simple at the start makes it easier to build on each accomplishment until you reach your goal. This works for most New Years’ resolutions or goals that you have.
It is so much easier to start small and build up to your end goal than it is to go headfirst into something that may not be reachable right from the start.
Tools to track your progress
Having tools in place to track your progress is very important when you are trying to reach any goal. You can use a planner that is either paper or digital.
The best way is to find one that fits with your end goal. The easiest way to find one is to just do a simple search with your goal in mind and the word planner.
With all the digital resources out there you are sure to find one that is perfect for you. Or you can make your own in Canva. They have a ton of ready-to-use templates that are easy to customize even if you have no design experience.
Another way is to use a digital planner app like Trello and make boards for your goals and milestones.
This way you can track your progress and the rewards that you have planned. It really doesn’t matter how you choose to track it. Just make sure to pick something that is easy for you to use and keep up with.
Have an accountability partner to help keep your resolutions
The last thing is to make sure that you tell at least one person your goal. Make sure that it is someone that will help keep you on track and remind you of your goals.
It’s even better if you can find someone that is trying the same thing as you. That way you can check on each other and keep each other motivated to keep going.
You can even keep your rewards similar so you can celebrate each win with each other.
Final Thoughts on Keeping New Years Resolutions
Just with anything new that you try keeping yourself motivated to keep going is the key to success and keep your New Year’s resolutions. But by keeping your goals small to start, rewarding yourself, tracking progress, and having an accountability partner it will be so much easier to reach your goal.
What are some things you have done to keep yourself on track?
Let me know in the comments!