Turn This Year Into Your Best Year Yet

How many times have you vowed to stick to a New Year’s resolution and then never follow through? A new year gives us the chance to make changes in our lives, maybe it’s to lose that holiday weight gain, start going to the gym, or to finally eat healthier. The most important thing to remember when picking a New Year’s resolution, is to make it attainable, start small and work your way up. Every year people around the world make New Year’s resolutions, some are dedicated to making them come true throughout the next 12 months, some people make it, while others don’t. Whether you complete your resolution or not, it is always worth trying.

Here are some ways you can make New Year’s resolutions that not only stick, but are attainable:

Think about last year

Reflect on the challenges you faced last year and the things that you could have done better. What do you want to see change? Take a look at your weaknesses and make a list of how you can change them.

Write them down

A lot of people work and think better when all of their ideas are written down where they can actually see them. There are many ways you can do this. Use a planner, calendar, computer, or just write it down on a piece of paper. Try to keep it where you can see it and refer to it often.

Don’t try to do it all in January

Don’t try to pin all of your hopes on the first 31 days of January. Cramming a long list of goals into one month will only set yourself up for disappointment when you realize that you can’t complete them all. If your goals are worth attaining, then they will take time–a lot longer than a month. Plus, the effort needed to accomplish those resolutions is too much to do at once. You need to space them out and take it one step at a time.

Break down big goals

Setting goals such as writing a novel this year, or building a tool shed in the backyard are great goals to work towards. However, these are very big goals and it’s easy to look at the mountain of work, decide it’s too big, and crawl back into bed. Try breaking big goals into smaller increments. For example, if you decide to write a novel and your goal is to have it done in a year, start by writing a few pages a day. That is an attainable daily task to complete that will accomplish a larger goal in time.

Get some help from your friends

Chances are, if your goals are along the lines of losing weight, running a marathon, or eating healthier, you’re probably not alone. Reach out and ask your friends if they have similar goals. Use this opportunity as a chance to bond, support one another, and push each other in the right direction.

Identify time-wasters

A lot of great goals in life don’t get finished because we waste a lot of time doing things that are unimportant or unrelated to our goals. Think about all of the hours you spend on social media or in front of the television. That time would probably be better spent working towards your resolutions. We so often say that we “don’t have time” but the truth is that we can make time. Identify time-wasters in your day and replace them with projects and tasks that will bring you closer to achieving your goals.

January doesn’t have to be the start date

Contrary to belief, New Year’s resolutions do not have to start in January. You can start trying to achieve your goals at any time of the new year. Use that time to plan how you want to achieve your goals and start whenever you feel ready. Planning is the key to achieving your goals.

Sometimes a year is not enough

As the year comes to an end, take a moment to reflect on the resolutions you made back in January. How do you think you did? Did you work hard? Did you achieve your goals or do you need another year? Give yourself some credit, even if you didn’t achieve your goal quite yet. You laid the groundwork to achieving your goals and you can take the next year to perfect them. Learn from the previous year’s mistakes and grow from them. Every year is another chance to get it right.

By making your New Year’s resolutions realistic, there is a greater chance that you will keep them and work towards achieving them throughout the year, incorporating healthy behaviours into your everyday life.