The beginning of January is the perfect time to start thinking about goals you’d like to achieve in the new year. Whether eating healthier, starting an exercise routine or spending less time on your phone, Dr. Lynne Knobloch-Fedders, associate professor of counselor education and counseling psychology in the College of Education, says it’s better to start by making one small, sustainable change and then building it into your daily routine.
“Even when people are highly motivated to keep their New Year’s resolutions, it’s human nature for that motivation to wane over time, as the challenges of daily life set in,” Knobloch-Fedders says. “It takes an average of 28 days to establish a habit, so start by building one healthy habit. Once you have that habit well established, you can add another one the next month. At the end of the year, you will have been able to build a major lifestyle change by making a series of small changes.”
In setting a goal, first ask yourself what you would like to accomplish. How will you do it? How will you measure success? In 1981, George Doran developed the specific, measurable, assignable, realistic and time-related (SMART) method of goal setting, which is useful for helping people develop and implement their goals.
“Goals need to be concrete, practical and reasonable to accomplish in a distinct period of time,” Knobloch-Fedders says. “Otherwise, it’s easy for goals to become so unrealistic that they have no chance of success.”
Here are five tips to help make your New Year’s resolutions stick:
- Write down your goal and keep it visible. Daily reminders keep your goals top of mind.
- Share your goal with someone. People who voice their intentions to someone else tend to make more progress.
- Enlist support. “People who succeed in their goals often find an accountability buddy to keep them on track,” Knobloch-Fedders says. “You can both check in with each other and make sure you are keeping up with what you said you would do.”
- Brainstorm the biggest obstacles you will face and develop specific strategies to overcome them. “Everyone will face obstacles,” Knobloch-Fedders says. “If you can anticipate your obstacles and develop a plan for overcoming them, you have a greater chance of success.”
- Develop a rebound plan. You will most likely have setbacks, but the most successful people try again rather than letting one slip-up derail their goals. Knobloch-Fedders likes the “two-day rule:” if you miss your goal on one day, that’s OK — be kind to yourself. However, re-prioritize your goal the next day. Don’t let two days go by row without making progress.
Knobloch-Fedders reiterates that everyone will have small failures along the way, but the key to success is knowing how to be persistent in recovering.
“Success is not defined by how often you fall off the horse, but by the number of times you get back on,” Knobloch-Fedders says. “It’s important to have a specific strategy for overcoming setbacks — how will you handle the times when you slip up? How will you reward yourself for trying again the next time?”
