How to Make New Year's Resolutions Stick

New Year's Resolutions are a great idea. As ideas go, what a wonderful idea to think through on a yearly basis the kinds of goals you want to resolve to do in the next year. Fantastic idea. Most growth plans usu

ally fail precisely on this point... they do not create a rhythm of reflection and action. New Years R

esolutions however, do just that. Every January, most of us at least hear the phrase and think for a moment or two about what new resolutions we might make. 

Why don't they work? Well that depends on the person and the goal. They could be unrealistic (too large to tackle), too vague (you never know when they are done like "be happier"), or have too many factors outside of your control (make money in the stock market). 

Here are some very specific ways you can make your New Year's Resolutions this year stick into next year. 

1. Revisit your goals from this year at the same time next year. All New Year's resolutions o

u

ght to include this one at least. What good is a goal if by next year you can't even remember what go

al you made? Try writing it down, putting it in an envelope labeled "To Me, 2011" and stick it in your night stand drawer. You just doubled your chances of reaching your other goals if you did. 

2. Write both process and product goals. Everyone seems to write product goals, since they are the desire

d end result. The better goals, however, are not the products but the processes that lie in your control. For example, you can't control your marriage's improvement any more than you can control your spouse.  You can control the books you read, the counseling you receive, and the conferences you attend. Set a process goal to help you reach your product goal. 

3. String goals along a time line. Nothing produces results like a deadline. Taxes are due by April 15 otherwise we would all still be thinking about starting 2002 taxes. After you have discovered some process goals, put a deadline on them. Then mark on your calenda

r the day of the deadline and the goal you have to reach. If you want to lose 15 pounds by next new year, that's a little over one pound a month. You can do that. Write in the weight you need to be at the beginning of each month on the calendar. Voila, you are on your way. One pound is a lot more manag

eable than 15.  (You should add a process goal too, by the way, such as exercise three times for 20 minutes a week.)

4. Set a reward

. Everybody likes a treat, a doo-dad, or a celebration. The trick is to make sure it is something you won't give yourself otherwise, to make it public to somebody, and then work toward it. If you apply, get accepted, and start your next degree this year what can you give yourself to celebrate? A new espresso mach

ine? A night away from the kids? A new briefcase or backpack? A 

new or refurbished laptop? If you lose those fifteen pounds, how about three new outfits? 

What do you do to make your New Year Resolutions stick? Do you have any for the coming year? How do you reward yourself for goals achieved? Let me know in the comment section below. 

 

© 2009 David B. Ward All Rights Reserved.