2017 has officially started and with it comes a slew of New Year’s resolutions. Some people stay strong for the first few days, then fall flat. Long lists of goals are abandoned in a notebook or word document that they were listed in, and as the months go by, a nagging feeling comes to mind whenever you look at that notebook or scroll past that saved document titled “New Year’s Resolutions.” I’ve had my fair share of guilty looks thrown toward my journal, but over time I’ve learned three simple methods that have helped me keep up with my New Year’s Resolutions.
1. Less is More
It sounds a bit strange doesn’t it? Wouldn’t you want to complete all 10 of the resolutions you’ve come up with? Actually, this is often where the problem lies. In my case, when there were too many resolutions to complete, it was too much to keep up with when I added it to my load as a college student. Instead of my usual 10-20 resolutions, I’ve picked 3-4 important ones to stick to. The less New Year’s resolutions I had, the easier it was for me to remember.
2. A Loud and Colorful World
And by loud and colorful I mean alarms, calendars and post-its. Daily reminders that you can see and hear to help remind you about the goals you set for yourself. Try putting sticky notes in your car or bathroom mirror so that you can view it, read it and remember to stick to it throughout the day. Alarms are another great way to keep your resolutions. Setting it at a specific time in the day, preferably one in the morning and then one in the afternoon or even have it ring every couple of hours helps to condition your memory to associate that alarm with your New Year’s goals.
3. Friends until the End
Tell your close friends about it. Have them be your motivators. The ones that give you tough love and help you stay on track no matter how hard you want to give up. They’re like life coaches except you can gossip with them! Come up with a plan where you help each other with completing resolutions. It’s a great form of motivation on both ends and before you know it, all your New Year’s resolutions will be complete.
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