Shake Up Your Resolution Game: A Fresh Approach to Smashing Your New Year’S Goals
Are you making New Year’s Resolutions this year?
What’s your track record with resolutions? What kinds of things have you resolved to do? And have you kept them?
Over the years, mine have included spending less time on my phone, being on time, and going to bed earlier.
They have been resolutions that I have 100% meant at 11.59 pm on New Year’s Eve, and have managed to keep for maybe… a month.
Sound familiar?
Why is it that we make resolutions with good intentions, resolutions that we know will help us be happier, healthier, or more productive, but often struggle to keep them going longer term?
And what can you do this year to help increase the chances of sticking to your resolutions and making positive change?
Tip 1. Remember that New Year’s Resolutions are often about change. And change is hard.
Even a resolution as commonplace as going to bed earlier requires at least one habit to be broken and replaced with something new. Research suggests that to establish a new habit you need to do it for 21 consecutive days.. or 66 days… or 10,000 times, depending on which research you read.
Whatever the actual figure, the research agrees that creating new habits requires repetition and practice.
Very simply put, when we do a behaviour or an action, we create a pathway in our brain called a neural pathway. The more we do that thing, the stronger the neural pathway gets, and the easier and more automatic that thing is to do. It becomes a habit.
I imagine a habit like a well-trodden path on a walk in the countryside. The ground is even and smooth, it takes you on a route that you are familiar with, and you can follow the path without even really thinking about it.
Neuroscientists used to think that humans couldn’t change these neural pathways. But our brains are much more flexible than originally thought, and neural pathways can be changed, or new ones created. This is called neuroplasticity. But it takes work.
Making a new habit is like creating a new path. It can be pretty arduous: you have to cut through brambles and overgrown weeds to clear the path, the ground will be bumpy, and we all know how quickly weeds grow back. But gradually, as you keep taking this new path, cutting back the weeds and trampling the ground again and again, the path will begin to clear and the ground will become smoother.
Change is possible, but it’s not always easy. It feels uncomfortable and requires dedication and constant reminders. So, my first tip is to be kind to yourself and keep at it. Even if you slip up and fall back into old habits, just remember: the weeds might have grown back over the new path so you just need to go back and cut the weeds back again.
Tip 2. Make the resolution specific and break it into smaller, achievable steps.
Resolutions can be pretty grand, sweeping and, honestly, a little vague - to exercise more, to spend less time on your phone, to get your finances in order. And it can sometimes feel like you need to be a marathon runner, a non-smoker, or the proud owner of multiple savings accounts by New Year’s Day to be successful.
But, if you are starting from a place where you rarely exercise, are glued to your phone, or don’t have much financial knowledge, you need to be clear on what exactly you want to achieve, and have a plan of action on how to get there. This will make your goal feel more achievable and increase the chances that you will achieve them.
First, think about the specific ultimate goal. For example, what exactly does ‘exercising more’ mean? Do you want to run a half marathon? Is it about increasing body strength? Get that clear first.
When you have clarified your ultimate goal, work backwards and think about all the steps that you are going to need to achieve to get to that final point.
If your resolution is to run a half marathon, maybe you start by signing up for a programme like Couch to 5K to show commitment. Maybe you talk to that friend who is part of a running club. Or walk up the stairs at work instead of taking the lift.
It can take a bit of time to think through, and it takes patience and resilience when you don't reach your ultimate goal immediately. But a solid action plan will set you up with clear steps to make it more likely that you achieve your goal, and maybe even surpass it, by the end of the year. And achieving the smaller steps on the way is a victory in itself, to boost motivation and confidence.
Tip 3. Assess progress regularly to see how you're doing.
Often New Year’s Resolutions are made in the spur of the moment, but then not thought about again.
How often do you stop throughout the year and assess progress towards your New Year’s Resolutions? If you are checking in regularly, chances are you'll do pretty well with keeping it up.
If, like me most years, you haven’t given them much thought since the evening you set them, it's more likely they haven’t been reached.
This is the same with any goal setting. After you have set goals, and start working towards them, you need to regularly assess which goals are on track, and which have been sidelined. You need to check in on how and where you are using your energy and if this still feels right to you.
This is why many clients choose to do my Shake Up and Shine strategic thinking coaching session every quarter or twice a year. The coaching programme is a great opportunity to do strategic thinking and action planning for what you want to do next. But you need to check in on these goals regularly to see how you are progressing.
Doing this allows you to intentionally modify your goals, extend them, or change them completely. And reduces the chance of them not being done because they have been forgotten.
Tip 4. Add Accountability.
Maybe you share your resolutions with those you celebrated New Year with, maybe you write them in your journal, maybe you just think of them in your head. I know I have done all three over the years, including a ceremonial session where my friends and I took turns around the table sharing our resolutions and celebrating each other. Don’t get me wrong, it was a lovely evening.
But, did I check in with my friends in the following weeks and months to see how they were doing with their resolutions? Nope. Did they check in with me? Nope.
And, when I thought about my resolutions in my head, I don’t think I could remember them by the time I threw out the Christmas tree.
Without accountability partners, people who know what you are trying to do and check in on you, it can be harder to keep motivation going. It can be much easier to put the resolution back in the box, get on with life as usual and maybe try again next year.
Sharing your resolution with a friend or family member, a coach, or a colleague, and asking them to check in with you to see what progress you’re making throughout the year can greatly increase your chances of achieving your goal.
An important note here though. This isn’t the same as passing the buck and it's not about adding extra pressure or guilt. Responsibility for achieving your resolutions, or choosing not to, still lies with you. And you need to make decisions and take action based on what you want and what feels right for you, not for others.
So, if you are planning on making resolutions for 2024, remember these tips and use this milestone as an opportunity to plan for some exciting positive change.
🚀Go for it! Happy New Year!🚀
