6 steps to stick to your New Year's resolutions past February

We all start the New Year bursting with resolutions that we promise we’ll stick to this year. But after a few weeks back in the grind, those resolves start looking very hard to keep up, even if it is for simple things like losing weight and exercising more.

How can you ensure your resolutions make it past month two this year?

Check out these 6 tips on really making your 2021 resolutions count:

1. Create a new lifestyle with new habits

Creating new habits takes time and energy because you can’t change your behaviour overnight.

Instead of setting yourself unrealistic, immediate goals, think of creating a culture of slow but positive changes in your lives that are sustainable through the year and beyond to create a healthier and happier version of you.

Remember, it’s not supposed to be a one-off, far-reaching goal; it’s supposed to be a sustained lifestyle.

2. Make it specific

Resolutions work best in bite-size pieces. Hold yourself accountable by keeping them small, realistic and measurable. Be honest with yourself about what you can achieve so that there’s no excuse to fall off the wagon.

Reaching goals creates positive energy, so it’ll fuel more success and keep you on track. Find super-simple consistency, and build from there.

3. Remember the reason for your goal

When setting a goal, it is important to consider the reason behind it. If you create a habit of understanding what’s good for you, you’re changing the structure of your life, and it will motivate you to keep reinforcing that resolution for a longer time.

Having a visual reminder on the fridge also helps in emphasising that quitting on yourself is not an option.

4. Forget perfection

A key part of success is how you treat yourself when you fail; failure is a key part of the road to success, so failing is inevitable. Instead of focusing on perfection, admit that you will have bad days and learn from them. Could it have been prevented?

If not, forgive yourself and start again tomorrow. If it could have been prevented, consider where you dropped the ball and make changes to avoid it happening again.

5. Measure your progress

Staying committed means being able to have calculable goals, and measure the incremental progress you make on those goals. Some goals are easy to measure, like weight loss or miles run per week. Others goals are tougher to measure, such as a promotion or new job.

Having a daily to-do list, with small tasks that nudge you closer to the end goal, rather than achieving it in one fast swoop helps measure your progress.

6. Reward yourself for each small win

Don’t wait to reward yourself until you achieve your goal. Instead, keep motivating yourself by celebrating each small win. Changes and habits are incremental, so why can’t rewards be incremental too?

Encourage yourself to keep at it by pausing to acknowledge success as you tick off small and big steps en route to a goal.

This article was first published in Wonderwall.sg.