The time of year where we make promises to ourselves has arrived. And no doubt, even though it’s only the first week of January, many of us are struggling to follow through with our pledge. Keeping New Year’s resolutions can be hard, no matter how simple a target you set yourself. So whether you’ve sworn to wake up earlier, or go to the gym more often – here’s a few tips to help you succeed in your 2014 resolutions…
Make it realistic
Hopefully you’ve set a goal that isn’t going to be an obstacle course to achieve. The reason many fail to keep their resolutions is because they set themselves too hard a task. The point of a New Year’s Resolution is to challenge ourselves, but we don’t want to make ourselves ill by stressing out over it. Things like eating more healthily, keeping fit, reading more, and shopping less are all pretty do-able challenges. However, if you aim to read 60 books this year, and you don’t have the time read 60 books – you’re going to fail, and you don’t want that. So basically, make the challenge challenging, but not too challenging.
Call in your friends
Telling your friends and family about your resolution will help you out more than you might think. Naturally, the people around you want you to succeed in life and will therefore help you out wherever they can. If you do this, every time you start having a chew on your nails, your friends will be right in there to stop you. You’ll be that sick of their nagging, you’ll have no choice but to stop nibbling.
Get digital
Your iPhone is probably already filled to the brim with lots of useless, yet fun, apps. However, your smartphone could lead you to victory. Search the App Store for apps that track your sleep cycle and workout sessions. When you see in black and white how little calories you’re burning or just how bad your sleep pattern is, you’ll soon be hitting the treadmill. And if you’re hoping to read more or boost your photography skills, social media sites like Goodreads can help you keep tally of your reading progress, while Flickr (the mature version of Instagram) enables you to share photos and receive feedback from others who follow you.
Be strong
Making the decision to achieve something of your own accord is a pretty big step and there’s naturally going to be one or two slip ups along the way. But don’t beat yourself up if you’re not in a new routine straightaway. It takes a good couple of months to break bad habits .So relax, stay strong, and most importantly – enjoy the journey.
Good luck!
Image: iStock/MillefloreImages
