December 31 and January 1 are only 24 hours apart. Any other month, these dates wouldn’t make much of a difference in how we operate from day to day, but this time of year, it does. The new year brings with it new opportunities, and in order to achieve those, we set resolutions. But following through with your New Years’ Resolutions is far more difficult than you often anticipated.
Despite being so proudly touted across social and traditional media, roughly 64% of people abandon their New Year’s resolutions by the time January is over. Reasons may vary from person to person, but a primary correlating factor between said goals revolves around how the goal is set. Instead of giving up on your resolution before you even start it, try these tips that will help you lay a solid foundation to pursue healthy habits for the remainder of the year.
Set SMART resolutions
How you set your goal is just as important as the goal you set. While deciding you want to lose weight or pick up a new skill is a great thing to do, it doesn’t give you the steps you need to achieve said goal. To successfully reach it, you need to make sure your goals are SMART.
SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. SMART goals break down your resolution into smaller steps that can be measured over time and are realistic.
- Specific: Your goal should identify exactly what it is you want to accomplish. Saying “lose weight” is too broad a goal and could mean any number. Saying “lose 20 pounds” gives you something to strive for.
- Measurable: When you can successfully track your progress, you are more likely to successfully achieve reaching your goal. Set measurable benchmarks throughout the year that will help you reach your goal, such as “lose five pounds by February, lose 10 pounds by March, and so forth.
- Achievable: Many people set goals that push themselves. This is not a bad thing, but it’s important you make sure any resolution is realistic and achievable. If your goal is too lofty, like “lose 50 pounds by March,” you’ll set yourself up for failure and disappointment.
- Relevant: Pick a goal that is pertinent to your life and will benefit you in the long run. Setting a goal just because it sounds nice, or because someone told you to set this goal, won’t motivate you enough to succeed.
- Time-Bound: You should have a final date in mind for your resolution. This will help you set smaller, measurable goals that guide you to success.
Limit your number of resolutions
It’s tempting to develop a lengthy list of all the things you’d like to improve upon in the new year. Don’t let your New Year motivation push you into a laundry list of tasks that feel impossible to complete as the month goes by. This is the fastest way to overwhelm and discourage yourself.
Instead, select three or four goals that are most important to you and work on achieving those. This will help keep you motivated and focused on your tasks instead of floundering with what to do next. If you achieve your goal partway through the year, you can replace it with one of the aspirations you put off.
Make a plan for achieving your goals
Making a few SMART goals is the best way to get started, but you need more than a quality goal to complete your resolutions. You need an actionable plan to hold yourself accountable and track your progress.
For example, if you want to lose weight, decide on a time in the morning when you’re most motivated to exercise and go to the gym or do something active during that time. If you want to pick up a new skill like painting, decide on the days you’d dedicate to it and how many hours a week. This plays a part in setting SMART goals, as it breaks your objective into manageable pieces that will help you achieve your resolutions as the year progresses.
Reevaluate your goals as necessary
Don’t hold yourself to a rigid set of rules that are impossible to reach. If you find the goals you set at the start of the year become too hard or too easy, it’s okay to re-evaluate them if necessary. Push your timeline back slightly if it’s proving to be too hard. If your goal is too easy, add steps. If you find this goal isn’t as important to you as you thought it may be, that is okay. Pick a new resolution.
Achieving success takes time and effort, but you will find it by putting in the work. Re-evaluate your resolutions periodically to make sure they still hold true to your current lifestyle and are realistic for you to achieve. That way, you can set yourself up for success throughout the year.
Get help this year from an at-home caregiver
If you’re a senior looking to stay accountable and achieve your resolutions, an at-home caregiver can help. While your caregiver can’t achieve your goals for you, they can provide you with the resources that you need to meet your goals. This could be preparing healthy meals or running whatever errands you require. They are also great listening ears who will support your goals and celebrate with you as you hit benchmarks all year long.
For more information on how an at-home caregiver can help you stay motivated and hold yourself accountable, call us at (623) 526-6367.
