Need some New Year’s resolution ideas? Check out these 15 excellent resolution ideas that focus on your health, relationships, and making the world a better place.
1. Make smaller resolutions.
You think: “I’m going to spend less, work out more, and get promoted.” All great aspirations, but creating a resolution that’s too big sets you up for failure. The first key to success is zeroing in on one goal, not three. Then do a quick reality check.
“Look at the level of commitment it will require to achieve, and consider if you’ll be able to match it,” Larry Kubiak, Ph.D., director of psychological services at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, tells SELF. Are you really going to be able to read a book a week if your busy schedule currently makes it hard to fit in one a month? Unlikely. And that’s fine! But committing to reading two books a month instead of four could be a good place to start.
2. Seriously, get specific with your goals.
We mentioned this tactic above, but it’s worth emphasizing. “Save money” is a good goal. But…how? And how much? Without some definable parameters, your best intentions can get lost in the shuffle. “The more detailed you can be—’I’m going to save $30 a week by eating out one fewer meal’—the [easier] it is to stay focused on what you have to do to succeed,” Dr. Kubiak says. Setting small, specific goals also keeps you encouraged along the way—each time you meet one, you have reason to celebrate your progress.
3. Write down your goals.
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People who write down their goals feel a greater sense of accountability and have a much higher chance of accomplishing them, Elizabeth Ward, Ph.D., psychologist and performance coach and consultant in Boston, tells SELF. Post your goals on your fridge, write them in dry-erase marker on the bathroom mirror, or write them down in a journal.
Journaling can also help you reflect on your progress, Dr. Kloubec says. “Honest reflection can help you to see how you may be sabotaging yourself or to recognize patterns of behavior.” (Check out our picks for the best notebooks and journals out there.)
4. Enlist some help from technology.
A lot of mental health apps out there can help guide you through goal-setting and forming new habits. For example, as SELF has previously reported, there’s MindShift, which teaches you therapy skills to tackle negative thought patterns and also has tools for setting goals and forming habits. Other goal-setting apps to check out: Strides, Streaks, and Productive. There are even journaling apps out there that you can use instead of a physical paper journal if that works better for you.
If your goal is related to improving mental health or starting a meditation or self-care routine, there’s probably a specific app for that, too. (Our list of 41 mental health apps that can make life easier will get you started.)
5. Make your resolutions public.
You might be more likely to achieve your resolutions if you make them public. “Sharing our goals holds us accountable, so it’s harder to back out,” John Norcross, Ph.D., professor and chair of psychology at the University of Scranton and clinical professor of psychiatry at SUNY Upstate Medical University, tells SELF. Obviously, it’s okay to change your mind after making a resolution public and realizing it’s not sustainable, or it’s actually making you unhappy or more stressed in a way that really doesn’t feel worth it or productive. But if you’re really hoping to change certain habits in the long-term, going public might be a good idea.
Source: SELF
