New Year, New You: Mastering Resolutions with Ease – 4 Strategies to Ensure Success Without Overwhelm
You’ve heard it before – “new year, new me!”. More cardio, less toxicity, more intentional about time spent, less clutter, better nutrition, less stress. Time and time again, for the New Year, we set goals and resolutions we wish to complete, starting January 1. We stress these goals to the point of extinction by placing unrealistic expectations on ourselves. Overwhelmed, we throw in the towel and fall back into our same ways experiencing little to no improvement. Rather than seeing the puzzle as one small piece at a time, we only glance at the puzzle as one large maze and discourage ourselves from going further.
How do we break this annual cycle and bypass the stressful pressure of society to make and stick to these resolutions? How can we step up our “new year, new me!” resolution game and successfully improve one action, one day at a time?
Here are four ways to keep your resolutions without giving up:
Time block an hour and write a letter to yourself. It can be to your future self one year or five years from now. Include what goals you want to achieve, maybe some practices you want to let go of, a few dreams you have, and throw in a few things you love about yourself so that those remain static. I recently saw someone post on LinkedIn that they wrote a letter to themselves when they graduated college and talked about how insightful and impactful it was to open it ten years later.
Adopt the sticky note method. I live by this as it keeps things simple and makes for becoming less overwhelmed. Take one standard sized sticky note (I see you, overachievers, with the giant wall-sized sticky notes – put them away for this one!) and fill it with your goals. Achievable goals. Want to increase your fitness? Try walking 20 minutes each day, three days a week. Or taking one water aerobics class a week. Want to increase your water intake? Start with 20 oz a day instead of that whole gallon. One sticky note for one year of resolutions. Also try implementing this method for your daily to-do lists.
Keep track of your changes, milestones, and hurdles. The best way, in my opinion, is by writing it down in a notebook and then sharing it with a trusted friend, mentor, or your therapist. Many people engage in therapy for this exact purpose. This way, you have someone to share these experiences with and a log of your achievements and everything else you have been through along the way. Review this journal often so you can see your progress, areas that you excel in, and your challenges.
Choose a word/phrase for the year. Write it down. List ways that you can live by this word/phrase. Suppose your word of the year is “joy”. Are you saying ‘yes’ to things that only bring you joy? What practices, roles, or people are you saying goodbye to that do not bring you joy? What can you add to your life that will incite joy?
Now, pick one. Set a reminder in your calendar to intentionally review and sit with your progress at least monthly. Identify where you need to improve and praise your progress! Go in to 2024 with a encouragement and success, one day at a time.
