How to Make New Year’s Resolutions You Can Keep

A new year is upon us and that means making new New Year’s resolutions. If you’re tired of making the same resolutions year after year only to fall off the wagon a few weeks after starting, you are not alone. The majority of New Year’s Resolutions are not kept more than a few months, let alone kept long enough to make a permanent lifestyle change. The most common mistake people make is to attempt to change their lifestyle drastically in a way no one could keep up with. 

Make Small Changes to Improve Your Chances of Sticking With Your New Year’s Resolution

Small changes are much easier to stick with than huge changes. Take weight loss, for instance. You want to lose weight this year, but you don’t want to suffer from the yo-yo effect again. Instead of starting a diet and exercise program on January 1st with the intention of working out 7 days a week and losing 25 pounds in the first month of the new year try taking things slowly. Make small changes that add up throughout the first few months. 

Using the weight loss example – try leaving behind fast food the first two weeks, then add an extra two to three glasses of water and skip the sugared sodas the next two weeks (in addition to leaving behind the fast food). After the first month is behind you add 15 minutes of exercise to the previous two changes for two weeks and then add 15 more minutes. Continue making small changes that add up to big results. By the end of two months you’ll have changed the way you eat and started working out 30 minutes per day most days of the week. 

Adapt Your Resolution to Real Life Changes

If your New Year’s resolution involves a home, personal or small business or your career, you’ll need to have some flexibility when making a New Year’s resolution. There are changes that will occur throughout the year that may require you to edit or amend that New Year’s resolution. That doesn’t mean you failed, just that you are willing to strive for the same general goal even if you have to make a few changes.