The long-awaited anticipation of Christmas and New Year have long since passed, and we are met again by January’s familiar call for resolutions and goal setting. For most of us, setting new year’s resolutions mean lots of different things; whether we are hoping to secure that new job, take up a new hobby, or start a new exercise regime, there seems to be no apparent reason why some stick, and others are disregarded almost immediately.
There are a few different strategies that you can try to make sure that your new goals last longer or become a permanent fixture in your life. These things are sure to help in the long term, as they’re founded on psychological research based on motivation, temptation and achievement. Here are Square 1 Therapies digest of 3 important findings that could help that New Year’s resolution stay around till next December!
Plan for moments of temptation rather than responding to them as they happen
If you have ever tried to give something up, you’ll know just how arduous and all-consuming this can be. Whether it’s skipping an exercise class or allowing that screen time to creep back up, it can sometimes feel impossible not to give in. Most of us would agree that our ability to avoid these temptations resolves around whether we can exercise self-control in that moment, which some of us are better at doing than others. Maybe not! A recent study shows that goal progress and maintenance is more achievable with proactive planning rather than reactive strategies of self-control. Put simply, we are more likely to succeed at our goals if we take some time while setting them to predict any factors that could get in the way, and plan for the negative urges before they arise.
Allow yourself the opportunity to lapse
Doesn’t it feel awful when you finally think you’re getting into the swing of things, and then out of nowhere you start to fall back into old habits. This is one of the biggest reasons why people tend to give up completely, as they feel so disheartened when they slip up. Planning lapses in our new habits/resolutions can actually help you to become more likely to achieve your goals in the long term. How? Well, following a strict regime, especially a new one can give rise to feelings of failure when they struggle to incorporate it into their lives all the time. This mounting feeling of despondency and shame will affect our motivation, which in turn, decreases the likelihood of sustaining the new habit in the long term. The trick is to plan for every eventuality, even the bad ones! This will leave you feeling more prepared to resolve and overcome any hurdles in your resolutions and result in a higher chance of success.
Find an accountability partner
There’s a reason why a lot of people choose to go to the gym with friends that has nothing to do with the sociability. Having a person/people who you are accountable to, means you are more likely to stick to your new goal for a longer period of time. People in teams have a much greater sense of commitment to a shared purpose and are therefore more dedicated to their joint venture. So, if you think you could be prone to negating on those promises you made to yourself, find yourself an accountability partner and team up with someone else. It’s not a failsafe measure, but it will definitely help. Good luck!
