6 Tricks for Sticking to Your 2018 New Year’s Resolutions

Are you guilty of setting resolutions every year, but find yourself giving up on them before making it through January? If so, you certainly aren’t alone! So many of us begin the new year with high hopes that it’s going to be the year we make a major change.

We tell ourselves we’re going to eat healthier and lose weight. For many of us, we’ll start off strong on January 1st, but two weeks into the month we’ve already gone back to our old habits. We’re eating junk and have barely hit the gym. Or maybe you set a resolution to spend less and donate unused items, but instead we hit the mall and buy a whole new wardrobe.

Whatever your resolution may be, it’s not doing you any good if you don’t take action to stick with it. And you know what? We want you to succeed with every resolution you set this year. To help you out, we’re sharing six tricks for sticking to your 2018 New Year’s resolutions!

1. Write Your Resolutions Down

The first step is to write down your resolutions. By writing things down, you won’t run the risk of forgetting about them and it’ll serve as a constant reminder to make progress. To do this task, think about what you want 2018 to look like. What would you most like to accomplish in the year ahead?

Once you’ve chosen your resolutions, write them down on a piece of paper and put it somewhere safe. You can even place it somewhere you’re going to see it every single day. For example, you could put it on the wall in your workspace. Another great idea is to take those resolutions and put them into a vision board. Either way, it’s important to get those thoughts out and create some sort of constant reminder for yourself.

2. Start Small

There’s nothing more intimidating than trying to make a bunch of big changes in your life all at once. While it’s great to be ambitious, you’re likely setting yourself up for failure this way. Instead of diving in head first, begin by making small changes in your life. It’s less daunting this way and you’ll be more likely to succeed.

For example, if you want to lose weight, you’ve likely set a goal to hit the gym more frequently. However, you can’t go from zero to 60 overnight. If you’re someone who has never hit the gym before, don’t commit yourself to going six days a week right off the bat. Start off with just three days and work on increasing your workouts from there.

3. Have Progress Check-Ins

Let’s face it, sometimes life gets busy and we forget about those promises we made to ourselves. To prevent you from forgetting about or abandoning those New Year’s resolutions, have regular check-ins with yourself. You can check-in each week or at the end of every month to see if you’re making progress on your resolutions.

If you’re not, you’ll know you need to find ways to step things up. If you are making progress, it’s your opportunity to do a little celebrating! This is the best way to keep yourself on track.

4. Get Support From a Friend

When there’s a big goal you want to reach, there’s nothing more encouraging than having a friend to support you along the way. Share your New Year’s resolutions with a friend or family member who you know will hold you accountable. They can lend their support and you’ll also have someone to share your progress with along the way.

It’s even better if you can find someone who is working on the same resolutions as you are. However, if you don’t have someone in your personal life who can be your accountability buddy, there are plenty of online communities to reach out to.

5. Don’t Give Up

It’s so tempting to completely give up on your goals after you’ve slipped up a few times. However, the key to sticking to your 2018 new year’s resolutions is to be persistent. Even if you’ve fallen off track before January ends, you can still get back to it.

So, don’t beat yourself up over any slip-ups. It happens to all of us. And what’s most important is that you keep trying and you continue working toward your goals. When you’ve finally achieved what you so deeply desire, you’ll feel even more proud of yourself for never giving up.

6. Reward Yourself

There’s no denying that a little reward provides all the incentive we need to stay motivated when it comes to our goals. For your New Year’s resolutions, you can set specific milestones to meet along the way. Then, you can reward yourself with something as you hit those milestones to keep you excited and to help you move forward. Once you’ve finally achieved your end goal, you can really celebrate!