As February begins, many of us find that our New Year’s resolutions have started to slip away once again—leaving us looking for a way to stay motivated and keep up with the work we put in throughout January. Here are some tips to help keep you motivated throughout this month and those that follow, helping you to stick to your resolutions.
Make smaller goals that will help you to reach your overarching resolutions.
Oftentimes, the resolutions that people set at the beginning of the year are extremely broad, and by the time a few months have gone by, they lose track of what they wanted to accomplish in the first place. If you make smaller, more specific goals to correlate with each month or week, you’ll be more inclined to accomplish those goals—and, in turn, will be that much closer to reaching a broader goal.
Drink more water.
This is not a new tip, but it is one that will always be important. Water is something everyone needs in order to survive, yet not many of us drink the amount that is required each day. Water improves many things in life—helping with fitness, your skin, headaches, and giving an overall energy boost. If you find yourself tired and losing motivation, make drinking water a priority on your list.
Make an effort to get 7-8 hours of sleep.
It’s another tip that has been repeated many times before, but sleep is something every successful and productive person needs. When you don’t get enough sleep, the things you do throughout the day may not always be done to the best of your ability—and if you’re constantly not getting enough sleep, you will soon lose stamina and the motivation to reach your goals.
Be more active.
This does not necessarily mean you need to have a hard-core workout planned for each day, but can include simply going for a short walk around your campus/neighborhood, finding a 10-minute workout video on the Internet, or even just getting up and stretching in the morning. Any form activity can instantly boost your mood by releasing endorphins, which can then encourage you to be more productive throughout the day.
Use a planner.
A planner is something I have been trying to keep up with this year, as I’ve found that it’s a place where I can organize my thoughts and keep track of the tasks I have to do each day. It’s also a great place to look through each month at a glance, allowing you to be proactive in planning out and committing to the goals you are hoping to accomplish each month.
Make physical symbols of your progress.
Going along with keeping a planner, when you make a specific page to keep track of each goal and the progress you’ve made towards achieving them, you’ll be more inclined to keep working hard to achieve your objectives. An added bonus is the satisfaction of being able to check off boxes, and seeing a visual of the continual growth towards your goals.
Give yourself incentives to reach your goals.
Something that always gives me motivation to work towards my goals is the incentive that I give myself once I reach them. These rewards can be anything that will motivate you most—from going out to eat at the end of a month to buying yourself a beauty product that you’ve been eyeing for a while.
Don’t compare yourself to others.
My final tip is to avoid comparing your progress or your goals to those of others. Everyone has diverse goals that they want to attain, and different ways of reaching those goals. Let the goals you set be your own personal way of making progress and getting to where YOU want to be in life. Even if some of your resolutions for this year are similar to someone else’s, the means by which you reach that goal may not be the same, and that is completely okay!
In the end, staying motivated all year to keep your resolutions and see a change in your life all comes down to the steps you want to take in accomplishing what you set your mind to. Remember, you can and will do it!