It’s not uncommon for the motivation to stick to New Year’s resolutions to fizzle out as quickly as an uncorked bottle of champagne. The enthusiasm of new goals often fades as the temptation to indulge takes over. Stick with your resolutions this year by following these tips when selecting what to aim for:
- Set specific goals. A vague goal is more easily broken. Try taking a larger goal and dividing it into manageable tasks.
- Set measurable goals. If there’s no way to track your progress, you’ll have more opportunity to slip—make sure there are ways for you to check your progress along the way.
- Choose goals that are meaningful to you, not to somebody else. If you’re doing it for yourself, rather than to please others, you’ll have much more motivation to succeed.
- Aim to achieve, not to avoid. Rather than saying you’ll stop eating unhealthy snacks, think of what you want to achieve.