The secret to sticking to New Year resolutions
As we step into another year, many of us would have spent the past few days reflecting on our journeys over the past 12 months and contemplating the road ahead.
As such, New Year resolutions often become the focus of our aspirations for the future – no doubt many readers made plenty of them as the rain came down in bucketloads on Sunday night – but the question looms large: Do New Year resolutions really work?
The allure of New Year resolutions often leads us to envision a complete life transformation, including the old staples of shedding weight, increasing our fitness, and saving more.
We vow to become better parents, partners, and friends, explore new destinations, start new hobbies, meditate, and start a gratitude journal, among other noble pursuits.
Yet research reveals a crucial insight into the nature of resolutions: the grander the goal, the less likely we are to commit to it.
The sheer magnitude of our ambitions can leave us feeling overwhelmed.
We also know that juggling too many resolutions not only makes achieving them more challenging but also significantly compromises our ability to maintain them, especially when compared to setting more modest targets.
And while we might be gamely sticking to a few of
them a week later, the sad news is up to 92 per cent of New Year’s resolutions fizzle out before the end of February.
So, to increase your chances of being among the eight per cent who successfully achieve their New Year goals, consider these three strategies:
One: Align your goals with your current routine, set goals that align with our current lifestyle and daily routines, pick goals that you can piggyback onto what you already do in your day.
For example, if you want to eat more fruit, plan to eat a
piece of fruit with your daily breakfast.
Or if you want to listen to more audiobooks, make your daily commute the time that you do that rather than listening to the radio.
Two: Focus on rituals, not results.
Shift your focus from the result to the actions that will lead you toward a healthier, fitter, and happier you.
Instead of declaring, “I want to run 5km,” opt for “I will commit to running three days a week consistently”. By consistently running three
days a week, you will eventually conquer that 5km milestone.
Three: The power of three. Research indicates that our brains can effectively manage up to three changes at once.
Attempting more than three simultaneous changes often leads to feelings of being overwhelmed, paving the way for procrastination and eventual abandonment of your resolutions. In the coming year, challenge yourself to embrace just three manageable habit changes that you can genuinely enjoy
and sustain. You’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish with this approach because the magic of January lies not in instant motivation, but in the commitment and strategies we employ throughout the year.
Dr Gina Cleo teaches in Bond University’s Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine and has research interests in habit and behaviour change. Her new book The Habit Revolution came out this week at amazon.com.au