New Year’s Blues & Breakthroughs

New Year’s Resolutions can be an inspiring and exciting way to enter the new year. But it’s almost customary to allow your newfound enthusiasm to fade as the weeks roll by and everyday life gets in the way again. You could say ‘oh well, that resolution was a bit ambitious for me anyway’, but there are ways to make it easier on yourself so your New Year’s Blues become New Year’s Breakthroughs:

1. Make it fit your life

Tailor your new goals to fit into your existing lifestyle. If you’re not a morning person, don’t plan to go for a jog every morning. Figure out your high-energy times (maybe you have heaps of energy just before bed, or on the weekends?) and schedule small tasks toward your goals into those times.

2. Do one simple task every day

Although you’re enthusiastic to get your life overhauled, you don’t have to re-strategise your whole bedroom set-up, you just need to take down that broken blind – and do it today! Write your goal down and work backwards with the steps you need to do to get there. When you first get going, it may be hard to remember to actually do the task! Set a recurring reminder in your mobile phone until you’re in the habit.

3. Reduce temptation

If you’re trying to cut down or give something up, stay clear of places or situations where you may be tempted. Clear the cookies out of your cupboards and fill up the fruit bowl. If you’ve quit smoking, avoid outdoor bars. If you’re a spend-a-holic, don’t go into the shopping centre unless it’s for a specific purpose.

4. Track your progress

Create a Success Map for yourself by writing your goals down the left side of a page, and dates across the top:

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday
Eat healthily	ü	û	ü
Exercise	û	ü	ü
Less drinking	ü	ü	û

Each day, give yourself a big pink tick if you’ve stuck to the plan, and a red cross if you haven’t. Filling your page with ticks will motivate you, and a page of crosses will indicate you may need to re-think your plan of attack. If you’re out ‘n’ about, send an SMS to yourself with your results and update the Map when you get home.

5. Handle your bad days

It’s natural to have days where you couldn’t be bothered, but these are the times you need to pick yourself up and keep going, before your resolution gets laid by the wayside! Firstly, accept the task as a simple and essential step in achieving your goals. Keep some motivating music on your phone so you can pump yourself up whenever you’re feeling lazy. Then just do it. Remind yourself that the actual task won’t take long and you’ll be so proud when it’s done! If you do have a few ‘failures’, don’t let it break you. Have a think about why you didn’t stick to your plan and figure out how to avoid it happening again.

What's your new year's resolution?

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