George Brown
30th Dec 2024
Reading Time: 6 minutes
If you have a New Year’s resolution for 2025, no matter how big or small, it may be hard to keep after a couple of weeks. People often give something up for the New Year or take on something new, and both have their challenges. If you are finding it difficult to motivate yourself, we have TWELVE great pieces of advice to help you push on and become the person you want to be in 2024. Now if you’re brimming with New Year’s resolution ideas, we have already published some fantastic articles on keeping them, which you can find at the bottom of this page just in case these 12 brand new tips for keeping your resolutions aren’t enough!
Be realistic
One of the biggest mistakes that people make when choosing a New Year’s resolution is to make life changing alterations to their daily routine and habits, something that never works because the shock to the system is simply too big. This means you may end up needing help for your New Year’s resolution.
A better approach to choosing what your resolution should be, would be a smaller and more manageable change. For example, instead of telling yourself that you’re going to give up drinking forever…a common one on New Year’s Day (when you’re suffering a terrible hangover!)…try to cut out drinking during the week. This is a much easier task and can be achieved without drastically altering your habits.
Create a schedule
Just like a school timetable, creating a schedule is one of the best ways to ensure you stick to your resolution if you are taking something up. A schedule, or timetable, with the times you plan to go for a run, attend a class or sit down to read, will help you to see the bigger picture while offering a visual reminder to stick to the plan. Make sure to print out your schedule and put it somewhere that you have to look every day.
Use intelligent and free apps
There are a huge number of free apps that can help you stick to your task at hand, so make use of modern technology. Trello is a great scheduling app which can help to organise your tasks if you’re aiming to be more organised in 2024, while fitness apps such as Daily Burn will help you keep to an exercise plan. There are also apps such as MyFitnessPal which will help you understand nutrition in a more comprehensive way. These are some great apps which will also provide you with tips so you stick to your New Year’s resolution.
Make a ‘Pro’s’ and ‘Con’s’ list
Make a ‘pro’s’ and ‘con’s’ list for keeping and breaking your resolution and put it somewhere that you’re forced to look at every day. This will help you maintain a positive attitude if you’re struggling as the ‘pro’s’ will remind you why you’re changing your habits in the first place, while the ‘con’s’ will remind you of what will happen if you give up.
Involve others
Complete self motivation is one of the hardest things to do and if you have a big goal in mind for your resolution, it may be difficult without the support of family and friends. That is why it’s important to to tell people about what you want to achieve. You’ll be amazed at the help you’ll receive if you ask because many people take a lot of pleasure in helping people achieve their goals.
Reward yourself
For every week that you stick to your goal, set up little rewards for yourself. This will help you go for smaller and short-term gains as a lot of resolutions are aimed at long term improvements, which may not be realised for a few weeks or months. This can be anything from a day off, taking yourself to the cinema, or your favourite pastime.
Track your progress
Making a note of your progress, no matter how big or small, is critical for keeping motivated with your New Year’s resolution.
If you neglect to monitor and assess your progress, why continue with your efforts?
It’s essential to keep track of the areas you are striving to enhance.
For instance, if you’ve decided to give up alcohol for January, pay attention to how you feel upon waking up. Alcohol negatively affects sleep, so improved rest is a noteworthy benefit.
Embrace a Different Perspective
Professor Steven Peters, known for ‘The Chimp Paradox’, has assisted numerous elite athletes in achieving Olympic gold without hitting the gym.
He advocates for differentiating the voices in your head into distinct categories.
The voice urging you to stay in bed longer, indulge in chocolate, or have one more drink is the chimp side of your psyche. The real ‘you’ desires to get active, stay fit, and lead a healthier life.
By recognizing the lazy voice as part of your basic, emotional self, you can effectively disregard it.
For a more detailed explanation, consider getting a copy of The Chimp Paradox here!
Focus on One Day at a Time
While it may sound cliched, taking things one day at a time is crucial when working towards a goal in 2024.
If you set an ambitious target like running 150k in a month without much prior running experience, it’s daunting. However, committing to a 5k run daily is more manageable.
Apply the same principle when giving up a habit. Rather than thinking of it as a permanent change, view it as a daily commitment. Repeat this mindset each day, and before you realize it, months will pass.
Take a Break
If your resolution becomes overwhelming, don’t hesitate to take a break—whether for a day, two, or even a week or month. Revisit this list and implement strategies like seeking support from friends or establishing a routine before resuming.
Stepping back can provide a fresh perspective and lead to new approaches when you return, revitalized and ready to tackle your resolution.
Postpone Your Resolution
Feel free to delay your resolution if needed. Put it on hold temporarily if you’ve encountered setbacks or find certain aspects too challenging.
Acknowledging that it’s not the right time doesn’t signify failure. Take a break, reevaluate your approach, and return to your resolution with renewed determination after a month off.
Overcome Setbacks
Setbacks are inevitable and can stem from various reasons, such as injuries or accidental slip-ups. It’s okay to veer off course as long as you acknowledge it.
Striving for perfection all the time is unrealistic. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you stumble. Learn from it and keep moving forward with your resolution.
following sentence:
The cat chased the mouse.
The mouse was chased by the cat.