It’s January, and most of us begin each new year looking at what we want to change about ourselves or our environment over the next year. Then, we set New Year’s resolutions and start the first of January on our year long plans. But, let’s be realistic. How many times have you truly made it past February continuing to work on those goals and achieving your long-term plan for the year? Often, we jump into our goals full force, and it dwindles throughout the first couple of months. It may be because your goals were not realistic for you at the moment, or something got in between your plans and goals and then you struggled to get back on track. You’re not alone. As a dietitian and fitness enthusiast, I’ve watched many people struggle to keep their New Year’s resolutions. By prioritizing and setting realistic steps to achieve these resolutions, you can begin to chip away at long-term habits that you’re hoping to change.
Start by looking at the past year. What resolutions did you make for 2023? If your resolutions went well, examine why you were successful. Was it because you had social support pushing you along the way? Or maybe you created a smaller habit of scheduling time to exercise or meal plan each week. You were consistent because of your schedule change goal. If your resolutions did not go well, what happened to make you not achieve your goals? Maybe you set large resolutions to be completed by a certain time frame that seemed impossible to reach. Or maybe you were doing it alone with no support to push you on days when it was hard. By examining the past, you can help yourself achieve your goals for 2024 by sticking to what worked last time or by avoiding the same roadblocks that got in the way before.
After examining the past year’s resolution patterns, look at the type of resolutions you are setting this year. Are they realistic? Small goals, that will eventually lead to large habit change, tend to be more successful. Once you have hit your small goal, it gives you momentum to continue pushing and hit the next goal. The small goals, when done consistently, will get you to the larger habit change you are looking for without making it seem overwhelming and unattainable.
Example #1:
- Large goal: I will lose 10 pounds by the end of January.
- Realistic, smaller goals: I will go to the gym for 30 minutes, three times a week or I will meal plan balanced meals on Sundays to prepare for the week.
Example #2:
- Large goal: I will save $200 by the end of January.
- Realistic, smaller goals: I will pack my lunch three days each week and transfer money into savings that would typically be spent on going out for lunch.
The smaller goals are going to work together to help you hit your larger goal of weight loss or saving money. But, without these smaller goals set and a plan in place, the weight or financial goal will seem much harder to reach.
After you set your small and realistic goals, tell somebody! The more support you have, the more you will feel accountable to reach your goals. Be selective with whom you share your goals. Make sure it’s someone that is encouraging and will nudge you and lift you up when your goals get hard. If someone wants to join in and work together on the same goals, even better. Having a partner is very powerful and can increase your chance of reaching your goals!
This year, prioritize your goals by learning from past goal setting successes or mistakes and making sure your goals for 2024 are small and realistic. You can even write them down, check them off and physically watch your progress along the way. And don’t forget to share with someone you trust! Make 2024 the year you achieved your New Year’s resolutions past the first couple of months. You’ve got this!
