As we step into 2024, odds are you have made a resolution to do something different, or better, in the New Year. Maybe you want to get more active, maybe you want to kick a bad habit, perhaps you want to cut down on fast food, or maybe you want to be more financially stable in 2024.
Whatever the resolution is, make sure it’s an easy-to-follow goal that is attainable, sustainable, and most importantly, beneficial to your overall wellbeing.
Here are a few tips from the University of California on how to keep your New Year’s resolution:
1) Be picky about your resolutions. Pick one, maybe two things you would like to focus on and go all in. This sets you up to achieve specific goals instead of feeling like a failure for not reaching any of them.
2) Plan your resolution. It’s best to plan for your goal. Think about how you want to accomplish your resolution and how long achieving that goal will take.
3) Set specific goals. Saying you want to “exercise more” is too broad. Instead, try saying, “I want to exercise 30 minutes a day either before or after work,” or “I would like to run a mile every other day.”
4) Choose a new resolution. Avoid picking a resolution you have set for yourself in the past but failed to accomplish. You may set yourself up to fall in the same pitfalls that stopped you last time. Instead, pick something different where you can set a better path to success.
5) Identify ways to hold yourself accountable. Lean on people, whether it’s a friend or family member, to keep you on track. People function better when there is a community around them to motivate and remind them why they chose their specific New Year’s resolution.
6) Give your resolution time to become a habit. New routines take time to become habits and are not going to happen overnight. Be patient with yourself. If you have minor setbacks or don’t hit your goal within the first week, pick it back up next week. Keep working at your goal until it becomes second nature.