Tips for making New Year’s resolutions you can keep
Dr. Beth Goldman
| 3 min read
When making New Year’s resolutions, most people are too hard on themselves and set the bar too high. When this is the case, resolutions are easily broken, and then people feel like failures because they cannot meet their goals. Instead of making outrageous resolutions, be realistic and make a plan that is achievable with your current lifestyle. Achieving a small goal can build momentum on the path to achieving a larger goal.
- Prioritize your “to do” list: I’ve found that most people try to do everything on their “to do” list and don’t prioritize. It helps if you can categorize your list into “have to do it,” “want to do it” and “don’t want to do it.” Then what you need to do is take a hard look at what is on your “have to do” list and decide if it’s something you really have to do. For example, if you have on your list that you have to cook your husband dinner every night this might be something that you think you have to do, but your husband might not need you to do it every night. In this situation, have a conversation with your husband and find out if he can take care of dinner on his own a few nights a week – this might free you up to get a workout in after work.
- Talk to your friends about your goals: You can also talk to your friends about your goals and they may offer you a different perspective. For instance, if you “have to” vacuum every day you might discover that most of them only vacuum once a week and you are going above and beyond the norm.
- Ask for deadlines: Sometimes people take every situation as an emergency. When someone gives you a ”have to” task, find out what a realistic goal or deadline is. It might not really be an emergency. In these situations, I find that people don’t get enough sleep because they are worrying or have anxiety about trying to accomplish their entire list. This can impact their health and actually affect their ability to complete the tasks altogether.
- Schedule free time: It helps to have free time set up, where you can disconnect from your electronic devices and recharge.
For many people, the New Year feels like an opportunity for a fresh start, but waiting for the New Year provides a great excuse for not already accomplishing our goals. We should remember that every day is a new opportunity to do better and make smarter choices. It doesn’t have to be a Monday or a New Year’s resolution, it can be the next meal or snack or the next hour.
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Photo Credit: Kat
