It’s a familiar pattern isn’t it? We start the New Year with the best of intentions and all sorts of plans, ideas and goals, most of which fall by the wayside before we even get to Valentine’s Day! Here are some tips to help you keep your levels of motivation high and your goals more achievable;
- Don’t be too ambitious! David Allen said; “You can do anything, but not everything”. If you have a whole list of resolutions or goals, take three of them at a time and work on them first. Breaking your list down will stop you from becoming overwhelmed.
- Write your goals down. Researchers from Harvard Business School found that writing goals down was one of the key actions of successful people. A written intention represents a commitment on your part to achieve the goal, and this gives you more power and determination.
- Strive for balance- Try to have a mix of resolutions or new things you want to implement. Often it can be all about work or health, but it’s better and more interesting to have a healthy mix of things you want to improve or change. Think about these areas of your life; career, health, relationships, hobbies, personal development, finance and ways you can give back to your local community or maybe humanitarian acts you want to start.
- Focus on the ‘why’. Think about why you want to do whatever you’ve decided to do. What will be the benefits and how will your life be better if you put these new actions and behaviours into practice? Knowing and reminding yourself of the why often, will keep you going when you may be tempted to give up.
- Make a proper plan. Use your diary or calendar and actually spend some time scheduling into your days/weeks, the actions that you will need to take to stay on track. Once you have diarized what you will need to do, you will feel more organized and confident that you actually can achieve what you want!
- Pre-empt any possible obstacles to you making the changes you will need to make. Decide in advance how you will deal with each obstacle, as or if it arises. That way you are prepared.
- Reward yourself when you make progress. Measure and record your progress and decide what reward you will give yourself at every stage. Little treats along the way keep you feeling motivated and not ‘hard done by’!
- Finally- don’t beat yourself up if you fall off track once or twice. Just remind yourself of how well you’ve done so far, focus on the whys again and get right back to your plan.
Becca Teers
Author, Clinical Hypnotherapist