Seventy-three percent of all people who make New Year's resolutions fail to follow through to completion, according to detail.com.
A week into January and the cracks start to show.
Seventy-three percent of all people who make New Year's resolutions fail to follow through to completion, according to detail.com.
Whether you set your goal one week ago, or you are starting when the semester begins, here are some tips to help you stay on track in 2016.
To all those who reckon time on the Gregorian Calendar - Happy New Year! (FYI: January 1 is astronomically insignificant.)
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) January 1, 2016
1. SMART goals
SMART is an acronym for a system of setting goals. The letters stand for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound. Setting a resolution with the system in mind creates a goal with a plan behind it, which may make it easier to follow through. Specific goals are much easier to attain than general goals.
Rather than saying, “This year I will get in shape,” a SMART goal would say “This year, I will get in shape by working out three times a week, and I will be able to lift more every month than the previous one.”
The point of creating a SMART goal is to put a lot of thought into the final product so that goals are more concrete and attainable than an abstract one. By following that method, your New Year’s resolutions could become a reality.
Technology makes it easier than ever to attain resolutions. The main advantage of using technology to help achieve goals is the organizational capabilities. There is a reminder function on almost every cell phone. Creating reminders, whether it be daily or weekly, will help you to remember your goal and stay on track.
The calendar function on your phone is just as important. Set dates for specific points of achievement and it will be more clear in your results.
Beyond those two apps, there are hundreds of options to keep you on track in the app stores. There are both habit trackers and health trackers, organizing apps and fitness apps, and many more. Our phones are such an important part of our lives, so use it to help achieve success.
3. Get other people involved
By telling other people about your goals you put accountability on yourself. By using positive peer pressure, you’ll focus on keeping and finishing your resolution.
You can even include others in your resolution, too. If your goal is fitness- or nutrition-oriented, grab a friend or family member to go along with you. You’ll hold each other accountable, and you’ll have someone who understands the struggle of keeping up with the resolution. Finishing a goal together can even strengthen your relationship and you could come out better friends than before.
4. Just Do It
The most important factor that keeps people from their goals is a lack of motivation. Some people fear the commitment of following through on a resolution, while others have difficulty staying on track once they have begun. But the only way to accomplish anything, in the words of the great Shia LaBeouf, is to “JUST DO IT.”
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