How to make resolutions that you can keep?

Yes, its that time of the year again when you will find yourself in the urge to set new year goals. The new year often feels like a fresh start and a great opportunity to change bad habits and build new routines

Nonetheless, resolutions are much easier to make than to keep, and more often than not,  by the start of April, many of us have abandoned our resolve and settled back into our old patterns. And a lot of this has to do with the fact that we do not know how to keep New Year's resolutions, despite our good intentions.

So to begin with, the key lies in setting resolutions and goals that are realistic in nature. There is a simple framework to follow that will enable you to make resolutions that are easy to stick by! SMART GOALS. 

Make your goals and resolution SMART- Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Based. Making a goal SMART is a great tactic to increase your chances of actually sticking with it. Cause otherwise, your resolutions will either be too vague to be followed, or too daunting and directionless to be achieved. 

For example if your motive is to be more physically fit, there is no clear roadmap to this direction. If this resolution were to be fit within the SMART framework, it would look like

• Specific - You will take up exercising to be more physically fit 
• Measurable - You will exercise thrice a week, one hour per day 
• Achievable - From no exercising at all, to having a goal of working out every day of the week is a non attainable wish, so being realistic is the key
• Relevant - Exercising regularly has a straight correlation with being physically fit which was the main resolution in the first place 
• Time based - I will see a result in two months

Hence your final resolution will look like - I will exercise thrice a week, one hour each day to see a result in my physical fitness after two months. 

Of course, you’ll also want to think about details, like when this workout will fit best into your schedule, what activity you will actually look forward to doing, and etc. But thinking within the SMART framework first is a great way to get started formulating your goals.

Once a resolution is framed and intentionally thought upon, there are a few hacks to stick to them:

1) Write down your goals

People who write down their goals feel a greater sense of accountability and have a much higher chance of accomplishing them. Writing your goals also gives you clarity and direction on how to move forward. Once your goals are written you can use any of our tools to regularly tick off your actions. This ultimately builds accountability and gives the motivation to keep going. 

2) Start with small steps and celebrate them 

Taking on too much too quickly is a common reason why so many New Year's resolutions fail. Starting an unsustainably restrictive diet, overdoing it at the workouts, or radically altering your normal behaviour are sure shot  ways to derail your consistency. Instead, focus on taking tiny steps that will eventually help you reach your macro goal. If your focus is just on the endgame, it’s easy to feel discouraged when progress plateaus and feels slow. That’s why it’s crucial to recognise and reward the smaller successes along the way. If your goal is to run a marathon, don’t save the party for the finish line. After each long run, reward yourself with something you love. 

3) Normalise slipping off track

Having a lapse is common and human. What really matters is how you handle it: There are those who spend several days feeling guilty over their slip off, and then those who acknowledge the goof up but get right back on track. The latter ones tend to succeed in the most case scenarios! 

4) Renew your motivation 

The first day of the year is when you shall feel highly motivated to get your goals done. While this has a lot to with the aura of fresh beginning, mid way through the year you may find yourself in a lull to work towards your dreams. And when you face such moments, you must revisit the ‘why’ of your goals, the reason why you started in the first place. That’s where the power truly lies. 

We hope these tiny hacks help you achieve all your 2023 Resolutions! Happy New Year in advance to all our Humans at Humanhood.