I personally hate New Year’s Resolutions. I find them to be nothing but a false sense of hope. Most people will set ridiculous resolutions with no real game plan or execution strategy. With that being said, the New Year can be an excellent opportunity for a “restart.” Sometimes we all need a restart. We might need to restart our diets, restart our productivity, or switch up our social circles. Since I trust that you guys are serious about goal-setting and meeting your resolutions, I wanted to provide a quick slacker’s guide to reaching your resolutions…
Set small goals.
Gaining 20 lbs of muscle by Spring Break is not a small task. Never spending money on clothes again is not a small goal either. You must realize that the reason most of us don’t hit most of our goal targets is because they are simply too high. Not to discourage anyone but small goals are ideal for the slacker in you. There’s no sense in setting your sights to high and then feeling discouraged after.
Be realistic.
The problem with the majority of our goals is that they’re simply not realistic. Small and realistic goals are the way to go. A dollar at a time and your debt will eventually get paid off. Attempting to pay off all of your debt by February will not happen because it’s not realistic. If it took you a few years to acquire your debt, it will take you a long time to pay it all off.
Monitor your progress.
My favorite mental hack for tracking my progress on anything is the classic “calendar technique.” I keep a huge calendar on the wall in my room. Every time I produce a desired daily result (eat well, write a blog post) I give myself a huge X on that day in the calendar. After a few consecutive days of X’s on your calendar, you’re going to want to see more. This mental hack alone can be enough to help you monitor your progress and keep yourself motivated. Your scale may not always produce the desired numbers, but if you know that you’re eating healthy then you can feel confident knowing that your resolution of weight loss will come to fruition one day.
Tell everyone you know.
By telling others of your goals it will keep you accountable. You’ll be accountable to all of your friends that are curious about your progress. For me knowing that others are following my journey is often enough to push through the difficult times because I don’t want to let these people down.
Don’t wait for a specific date.
I never understood why people wait for a specific date to get something started. There’s no sense in waiting if you’re truly passionate about something.
Start right now.
With that being said, why are you still waiting? Why are you waiting to start working out? Why don’t you press the X button and bust out 50 pushups right now? Whatever it is that you’re waiting for, stop! There’s no better time than right now to get started on your goals.
Hopefully this year will be different. This will be the year that you follow all of your New Year’s Resolutions. Good luck and keep us updated here!
(photo credit: chatirygirl)
