How to Keep Your Resolutions

Only 8% of people who make New Year’s Resolutions keep them.

Many of us create New Year’s resolutions, hoping to improve ourselves in various ways. However, keeping those resolutions and meeting those goals can be challenging. From learning new skills, eating healthier foods, getting fit, or reducing debt, we try in different ways make our lives better in the new year.

There are effective, proven strategies on how to keep New Year’s resolutions. When planning them, it’s important to create clear, measurable, and manageable goals. Also don’t forget to keep it real, and know that it often takes outside support to achieve your goals. Read the article, then be sure to view the infographic.
 

Keep Resolutions Clear

In order to measure progress, a New Year’s resolution needs to be clear. For example, “lose weight”, one of the most popular personal pledges made each year, could be clarified with greater detail. “Lose 10 pounds in 8 weeks by doing cardio 30 minutes 4 days a week” is a clear goal that someone could strive to achieve.
 

Keep Resolutions Manageable

Be realistic when creating resolutions. If you decide on too many goals, you are likely to overwhelm yourself and lose focus on those that matter to you most. Keep the resolutions you hope to achieve to a manageable number. Many resolution keepers limit their goals to one, two, or three goals.
 

Keep Your Resolutions Measurable

Another way to make those goals manageable to keep them measurable. It helps to write down your New Year’s resolutions in order to evaluate progress. They are harder to forget if they’ve been documented. It’s also beneficial to break down goals into increments. Smaller tasks can be more feasible and more easily quantified.
 

Keep Your Resolutions Real

When struggling to make those goals new habits, don’t try to go it alone. Keep it real, and seek support from friends, family, coworkers, or professionals. If you keep silent about your resolutions, you are more apt to drop them when the going gets tough. Enlist some help. For some goals, a professional has the skills to help make those life changes a reality. For others, having a friend join you in your quest can make all the difference in the world.

The following infographic on resolutions will show you how to become a resolution keeper.