Surely there’s nobody out there who hasn’t decided on a resolution, steadfastly followed it for a few months and then slowly given up on it. Be it a diet, an exercise regimen, daily walks, meditation, quitting a habit, saving money, we have all started out enthusiastically enough, only to falter and give up pretty soon.
First of all, sticking to a resolution needs planning, following up on it, and motivation. Ideally, friends or family are your best motivators. It might even be fun to have the same resolution and compete with or motivate each other to reach your goal. However, chances are that these friends might get demotivated soon, drop out, etc. So, we figure that your best bet would be to get a diary or a planner to be your BFF and let each entry you post in your diary be your motivator.
To become one of that elite 8% of people who actually achieve their goals, you need to first make your goals very specific. Don’t say you intend to become fit by the end of the year. Instead, say you intend to lose 10 kilos by the end of the year. Or that you intend to be able to walk 6 km in one hour by the end of six months. Next, write that down in your diary as your resolution.
Now, schedule a time during the day to work on this resolution. Every time you open your diary or planner, you know that this time is blocked for this purpose. Drill it into yourself that this is a priority.
Now that you have the end goal marked, set smaller goals during the week and months to keep you motivated and on track. For instance, if you are looking at losing a kilo in the first month, set a goal to have lost half a kilo by the middle of the month. You can also set smaller goals through the month and celebrate the achievements too.
If you can measure it, you can change it, is the saying. So, keep track of your progress—every measly little change. So, your achievements and even your failures will go towards motivating you to get up and get to it. For when you flip back and see how you managed to save a whopping 5k, or lose more than the intended kilo, or walk almost 3 km at the set time and speed without missing even a day, it will definitely motivate you to do more and see yourself through.
Hop along, then, and get yourself a good planner. There’s nothing like being your own motivator and being able to pat yourself on the back for all you’ve achieved.