Have a resolution and a plan

Most people have no plan for their New Year’s resolutions. Or the plan is simply things they’re going to do on Jan. 1. You know, that drunken New Year’s Eve declaration to whoever’s in earshot: “I’m going to wake up tomorrow and hit the gym to get started on strength training.” In the moment, setting that “resolution” feels fantastic: your brain is getting a hit of the feel-good hormone dopamine just for making a decision to “be your best self.” But unless you’ve sorted out a strength training plan, consulted with a strength coach or even just looked up a few cycling-friendly strength routines and put in your calendar to go to the gym every Monday and Wednesday after work, you’re likely not doing much after that initial gym session (that likely will leave you sore for a week).

“Changing behaviour long-term isn’t all white doves and red balloons,” Marshall says. “It’s habits you’re implanting in your life: routine behaviours that give you the best possible chance of meeting your goals. Know that the special sauce is in the small details. This might be a branding problem: how we brand these small changes that don’t seem so exciting, even though they’re what leads to long term changes.”

“Changing behaviour longterm isn’t all white doves and red balloons. It’s habits you’re implanting in your life.”