5 Tips To Keep Up Your New Year’s Resolutions

We're almost at the end of January. And whether the month’s flown by for you, or dragged on painfully, some of those resolutions or goals you set on January 1st might be wavering.

Don’t feel bad if your momentum is starting to lack, we’re willing to bet everyone’s is to some extent. But that doesn’t mean you have to give up, even if you’ve messed up a few times. You probably just need to bring back a bit of that optimistic, ambitious new year's energy – and we know how to do just that. 

We’re here to help give you and your New Year goals a re-boot, with these 5 tips for keeping up momentum with your resolutions.

 

1. Note your progress so far

Sometimes, when we set a goal for ourselves it’s easy to neglect the process of getting there. You might feel like you've not succeeded until you've hit the huge goal you set. Until you've squatted 100kg or run 10k.

But thinking this way neglects all the important progress that’s made on the journey towards a goal. To make sure your more mindful of the value of the journey, write down everything you’ve achieved so far, even if it seems tiny.

Let’s say your goal was to meditate every day. Maybe you’ve only meditated every few days, write that down – we're pretty sure it’ll be more than last year! Reflect and appreciate all of your progress.

 

2. Set some new mini goals 

If you're someone who’s a little impatient, this tip might be just what you need to reignite that ambition. 

Setting mini goals that are much more achievable in the near-future will give you that addictive feeling of accomplishment and feel less overwhelming. You’ll be making progress towards a bigger goal, and you’ll have fresh ones in mind to keep that momentum high. 

For example, if your resolution was to be a tidier person, set yourself a mini goal of spending 20 minutes on a Saturday tidying your bedroom. This sets you back on the path towards that broader goal, and gives you something smaller and more practical to work towards in the meantime.

 

3. Remember why you set your goals 

It’s easy to forget why you even set your resolution in the first place when all the usual obstacles get in your way. 

Maybe you set a resolution to get up at 7am every day. But when that alarm goes off, you conveniently forget why you ever set that goal in the first place. We've all been there, and it’s important not to beat yourself up about it. 

But it’s also important to remind yourself of why you set that goal. Maybe you resolved to get up at 7am everyday because you don't want to rush your mornings. Reflect on these reasons consistently and soon you won't have to remember - it'll come naturally.

 

4. Ask for help

If you really struggle to hold yourself accountable, ask a friend or a family member for help. This could be in the form of them joining you in your goals, or simply giving you a reminder every day. 

Even just making others around you aware of a new journey you’re starting, or a goal you’re working towards will make you feel more accountable. Ask for a reminder text every day, or ask for them to ask about how your progress is going regularly. 

 

5. Learn from what you’ve achieved so far 

Reflect on how your resolutions have been going so far, and what has worked for you and what hasn’t. Maybe you wanted to get a workout in every morning but struggle to get up in time. Reflecting on that and learning from it means trying your workout at a different time of day to make it work for you. 

If some part of the journey towards your New Year’s goal isn't working for you, try not to abandon the goal entirely, but adapt and find another way to make it work. 

 

Take Home Message 

The most important thing to take away is not to be too disappointed or disheartened when your resolutions don’t quite go to plan. Have patience and faith in the journey towards your goal and don’t expect too much too soon.Let your friends and family know what you're trying to achieve and let them support you. And most importantly, reflect and be proud of the progress you’ve made so far, don’t write off any success, no matter how big or small.