How To Stick To Your New Year’s Resolutions
Published: 08/01/2019
New year, new me. That’s the phrase we’re all bound to hear, over and over, as January well and truly sets in.
The first months of the year are also a time where many aim to put their New Year’s Resolutions into practice. Maybe you’ll be increasing your weekly visits to the gym, following a stricter diet, crazily tidying up the house or even gearing up to buy a home of your own.
Despite post-New Year’s goal-setting being a huge trend each and every January, research conducted by the University of Scranton in the US a few years ago suggested that as a little as eight percent of people actually keep their New Year’s Resolutions. That is despite up to at least 40 percent of people making one resolution or more. Those aren’t great stats!
As such, we thought we’d ask some of our most resolution-committed team members how they intend to stick to their goals in 2019. Let’s take a look...
Alex, Marketing
Stick to one goal at a time! Alex, who recently bought a period home (a gorgeous old school house), has a lot of odd jobs to do around the house, so could definitely make a million resolutions in moments. Alex’s advice, however, is to stick to one commitment at a time, to avoid getting overwhelmed and then achieving none of your goals. Got a lot of home-related goals to achieve? Pick one a month and really focus on doing a good job on that. The next month, move onto another. Time then in order of importance, that way your main goals will be completed sooner rather than later, and you’ll stay motivated to complete those of less urgency or importance.
Lindsey, IT
If your primary resolution is to stop a bad habit, Lindsey advises to replace it with a new, better habit. Some examples can include: running instead of smoking, nibbling on homemade healthy treats instead of chocolates or crisps and disconnecting your wifi at night to encourage you to read more as opposed to watching TV. Rewarding yourself can also be a great motivator. If you are committed to losing 10 kilos, reward yourself with something you love every 2.5 down.
Linda, Wills & Probate
Life is too short not to celebrate the small things, says our head of Wills & Probate Linda. My advice for anyone serious about setting New Year’s Resolutions that they will actually carry out throughout the year is to focus on the smaller, satisfying things in life, as opposed to setting yourself up for failure by setting massive goals like running a marathon, renovating the entire house or loosing 10kgs in 10 weeks! That’s not to say you can’t achieve those things in 2019, it’s just a suggestion that you think about your resolutions a little differently and phrase them in a more life-affirming way. Instead of losing weight, for example, you could set yourself a resolution that involves nourishing your body better so you feel really great in 2019. This could be through only choosing exercise you really love to do and eating in moderation, with a focus on healthy foods you love. You could well end up running 10 marathons as a result, but that shouldn’t necessarily be your focus!
Paul, Financial Claims
Paul’s advice for sticking to your New Year’s Resolutions is to team up with a friend or group of friends with similar goals. If you want to play more football for example, set up a local team. Doing things solo is never as fun and you’ll derive more happiness from achieving your goals if you’re bringing your mates along for the ride or even making new friends while you’re at it.
Lynne, Property
When setting out to achieve any goal, Lynne would like to remind everybody that it’s totally OK (and actually recommended) to ask for help. If you’re looking to buy or sell a home, for example, enlist expert advice so things go smoothly.
Not made a resolution yet?
According to GoSkills.com, the most common New Year’s Resolutions include:
1. Exercise more
2. Lose weight
3. Get organized
4. Learn a new skill or hobby
5. Live life to the fullest
6. Save more money / spend less money
7. Quit smoking
8. Spend more time with family and friends
9. Travel more
10. Read more
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