January 1st marks the time to look at the previous year and identify habits, traits, or actions you like to change. It is time to change and reboot your life. However, you should not go crazy with your New Year’s resolutions. They are easy to make but tough to keep. You should make sure that all your goals pass the SMART goals, which means that they should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. But still, the question that is on everybody’s mind: “How do I keep my New Year’s resolutions?” Well, here are common mistakes to avoid when making your New Year’s resolution:
Mistake #1: Do Not Hold Yourself Accountable
If you struggle to stay motivated, you must hold yourself accountable. There must be real repercussions around your goals so you are less likely to make excuses and or give up entirely. You have to put yourself in situations that you cannot slack off. You can ask your friend or a family member to give you tough love when you are slacking. You can also join an online community that is related to your goal, or you can even share your goals on social media and post your progress.
Mistake #2: Not Celebrating Your Progress
It is hard to be all work and no. You cannot expect yourself to stay on the right course if you have nothing to look forward to. You must treat yourself and have fun as you are taking small steps towards your goal. You also reflect and acknowledge the hard work you put in. You must celebrate the victories so you can be excited for the next step.
Mistake #3: Setting Unrealistic Expectations
When Writing down your resolution, you should be realistic and set achievable goals. A common mistake many people fall for is being way too unrealistic. Your resolutions should not be too challenging. In fact, you should set a timely plan to help you achieve these goals. It will help you stay motivated and encouraged.
Mistake #4: Delaying the start
One of the few things we can control in life is when you can start changing your life. You do not have to start exactly on the first of January. You can start a couple of days before or even a couple days after. Resolutions that will work, will work for New Year or any other day of the year!
Mistake #5: Making too many resolutions
Setting way too many ambitious goals at the same time is not effective. You are just setting up for failure and a major disappointment. Instead of making too many resolutions, you should focus on two or three goals. In doing so, it can leave you feeling overwhelmed and burdened. You should focus on one big goal at a time, and you can add other mini-goals related as you progress.
