Every January, we fill ourselves with hope for what the new year will entail, and many of us set resolutions for what we’ll change in the upcoming year. I love using the start of a new year to intentionally make changes to our lives, but the problem of actually keeping these resolutions as the year goes on presents a major challenge. So, here are three tips for how to keep your New Years Resolution all year long.

1.     Set Goals of Progress, not Perfection

If you set a challenging, hard goal which will make a meaningful change in your life, you won’t keep it all the time. Over the course of 365 days, you’ll have an off day, or you’ll be too tired, or too lazy, because you’re human. So, rather than set a goal which sounds like “I will go to the gym three times per week, all year” try setting a goal of “I’m going to go to the gym more this year, preferably three times per week.” It might sound like a small change in the wording, but it makes a big difference in how you’re able to give yourself grace when life doesn’t go according to plan.

2.     Make Multi-Tiered Goals

Oftentimes when I set goals with my clients, I like to use multi-tiered goals, with different levels of accomplishment. The first level is the “minimum goal” and the second level is the “big time goal.” For example, if your goal was to save more money this year, your “minimum goal” could be saving an extra $100 per paycheck, and your “big time goal” could be saving an extra $200 per paycheck. So, you should push yourself to meet your minimum goal no matter what, and if things are going well, you can maybe achieve your big time goal, but you might not meet that goal all the time and that’s okay. Adding this type of flexibility to your goals will help significantly as your life inevitably changes.

3.     Share Your Goals with People

If you keep your goals to yourself, you’ll rely entirely on your internal motivation to complete them, and all of us need some extra motivation to complete them. So, whether that’s an accountability partner who also shares their goals with you, or just a spouse or friend who you update on your goals, I recommend sharing your goals with people. Then, when you want to quit, think of the satisfaction you’ll feel in telling your friend “I actually followed through this week” and it can help you dig a little deeper to keep going. 

You don’t need to wait until January 1^st each year to improve your life, so if you take one thing away from this, start improving your life today, and your future self will thank you.
 

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