5 Tips To Sticking To Your New Years Resolutions!

Now that Christmas has been and gone, it’s time for us to happily say goodbye to 2022 and raise a glass to welcome in 2023. Now’s the time to reflect on the last 12 months and to start planning for the year ahead.

For so many of us the new year signifies more than just another calendar year; it’s a time to start afresh, say goodbye to old habits, and set the path for the coming 12 months. But for a lot of people the grind of day-to-day life, work and school commitments, and a lack of ongoing motivation can mean that their new year’s resolutions are left behind after only a few months, and are well forgotten by December.

Whether your resolution is to spend less time on social media and more time with the family, lose those pesky Christmas kilos, or to cut down on overtime at work, setting your new year’s resolution is only one small step in succeeding. To help you set, keep and most importantly, succeed, with your new year’s resolutions, we’ve put together some handy tips that will guide you through the next 12 months.

1. Make sure your goal is clear (and achievable)

Saying you want to lose weight is a good start but to make your resolution’s more achievable you should try to be as clear, and specific, as possible. Instead try saying ‘I will lose 10 kg by December’ or you can break it down further and say, ‘I will lose 2kgs every month’.

Likewise, instead of saying ‘I want to spend more time with the family’, try a more specific resolution like ‘I’ll have a big family dinner once a month’ or ‘every Sunday morning we’ll have breakfast together’.

2. Identify clear action steps

Once you’ve set your clear and specific resolution, it’s time to start mapping out how you’re going to achieve it. It might include putting a timer lock on your phone to help you cut down screen time, pre-booking weekend family getaways, borrowing books from the library to save money, or setting out an exercise and diet regime with a PT or doctor.

3. Track your progress

Setting out how you’re going to track your progress will help keep you accountable well past January. Make a weight loss tracking chart on your fridge, log your phone’s weekly screen time, or make a bucket list of family activities that you can hang up and tick things off of.

Try and keep your progress as visual as possible and make sure it’s placed somewhere that will allow you to see it regularly.

4. Share your goals

One of the most important ways to keep you on track to succeeding is making sure that you share your resolutions with friends and family. Your own personal cheer squad can help keep you accountable, motivate you when you’re feeling suck, and celebrate your progress.

Enlist a friend to go for walks or join you at the gym, let the kids pick family activities, or join a book club to keep you away from your phone.

5. Reward yourself along the way

Celebrating the little wins and successes along your journey will help keep you motivated long term and will keep your resolution enjoyable. Again, try to be a specific as possible when setting your mini rewards. Lost 5kgs? Treat yourself to a day at the spa. Paid off $1,000 on your credit card? Head to the movies.

Looking for extra support to help you achieve more in 2022? At Real Community Services we provide experienced, quality support to people of all ages living with both visible and invisible disabilities. With a brilliant team of support workers across south east Queensland, we are there to help realize their goals and build a life full of possibilities. Talk to one of our friendly team about our  in-home support and community participation programs on 1300 007 270.