Lose 100 pounds. Go to the gym every day. Pay off 100k worth of debt. Never say a bad word about anyone. These are the kinds of New Year’s Resolutions that people like to make.
But come on, people, it’s really hard to follow through with resolutions, so why do we make it so hard on ourselves?
Next year, for 2014, let’s choose some realistic goals because there’s nothing like actually completing a resolution to get you pumped and excited about tackling more goals.
The bigger and more elaborate your resolution is, the more unlikely it is that you will follow through with it. I know that’s not ultra motivational, but it’s the truth. Raise your hand if you’ve made goals about losing weight or paying off debt before only to get discouraged and frustrated. It’s because we ask too much of ourselves. In order to actually get some things accomplished, we have to take baby steps.
Here’s how to make your resolutions more realistic so that they actually come true:
1) Just Make One
Just because everyone talks about “New Year’s Resolutions” in the plural sense, doesn’t mean we have to make more than one. In fact, I think having a singular “focus” or “theme” for 2014 is a better way to actually make some positive changes in your life. So, if you want to tackle debt, do that. If you want to learn one skill, do that. But don’t try to learn how to sew and juggle oranges and run a marathon. People, we only have so much time. There’s always 2015 to learn something else.
2) Make a Plan
It’s pretty broad to say that your New Year’s Resolution is to “pay down debt.” That’s not very specific. That’s kind of like saying, “I’m going to start a business,” without actually having any ideas or a plan in place. So, if you’re totally starting from scratch, that’s good, but you need to be organized about it. Make January about getting your debt numbers straight, then make February about developing a plan, then make March about setting up a budget and so forth and so on until you have some really good progress in place. Basically, make sure your resolution has some meat to it. Vague resolutions don’t get accomplished; detailed ones do.
3) Stay Accountable
Don’t keep your resolution ultra secret. Make sure that it’s in-your-face. Put your resolution on sticky notes. Write about it on your blog. Tell your mom and your best friend about it. Talk about it all the time. We can’t keep our goals at the forefront of our mind unless we put them there and keep them there. Plus, it’s much easier to push yourself to accomplish goals if more people know about them.
Ultimately, the new year is a great time to start fresh and try to accomplish some of the goals that you have set for yourself. However, if you want to be successful, be realistic. There’s no need to set elaborate goals when it’s really the baby steps that will help you to make the biggest and best changes.
What are your New Year’s Resolutions?
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Great tips! I think you make a great point about trying to have a focus for your New Years resolutions. If you’re trying to morph into a different person by fixing 18 different things about yourself, that’s going to be hard! Better to set a theme and focus on that.
colormefrugalSo true. Fix one thing at a time!
I find that when you let others know your goals it’s easier to meet it as you don’t want to let them down. It’s too easy to quit when it’s just you.
Charles@gettingarichlifeSo true. That’s why blogging is great!
These are all great tips Cat, we do all or nearly all of them. I don’t do the resolutions per se as they’re generic in my opinion. I do have a couple of goals and make them as quantifiable as possible and look for ways to make myself accountable so I can reach them.
FrugalRulesI def. think that’s a good way to go about it!
I think the key to creating any new habit is to start small and find a dedicated time to do it every single day. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a time of day, but you need something that will trigger the habit. Focus on getting that one habit down cold, and then expand on it. Trying to do too much all at once will almost always result in failure.
Matt @ Mom and Dad MoneyI tend to agree with you Matt! Baby steps!
My realistic goal is never to set one! This is one thing that has always stumped me – new year resolutions!
moneyconeHaha I love it!!
I think #3 is key. The fear of failing in front of others always keeps me motivated. If I know other people are expecting me to do or complete something, I’m much more likely to follow through and actually do it!
ImpersonalFinanceI know. That’s why I love spilling my guts on my blog. Keeps me accountable, haha.
I’ve decided that i’m going to get REALLY specific this year about resolutions. I can’t just say I want to do this in 2014, I need to figure out HOW and WHEN.
brokeandbeauI like it! I’m going to do the same thing!
I like to create general goals and then create specific milestones under each. They are attainable and can be achieved with some time. Overall general goals are terrible and that is why most people fail to do so.
DebtRoundUpI agree. I like to get down to the nitty gritty and get specific about goal setting too.
Great tips. My new years resolution is to be more organized and manage time better.
MonaSezLove it! I’m in organizing/nesting mode for sure.
Yeah, I don’t have the guts to do a post on how my 2013 goals went (hint: terribly). I think the key was that most of the goals were way too ambitious.
I like Matt’s suggestion below to start small but find a daily time to do it every day, to plant the seed of habit formation.
I also like the goal of being accountable to someone. I thought this might be on the blog but my readers are too flipping nice. They are all sweet and understanding…those jerks. No one will give me the tough love I need. ;)
DonebyFortyAw I need to do the same post. Mine are mostly “pass but sorta fail” lol, like tracking spending for most of the year minus 4 months!
Very nice post. Its very true that people make huge resolutions which they then dump by February itself :P. I loved this article, Cat!
NazninAw thanks Naznin!
Great suggestions, I agree one thing at a time and make sure you have a good plan to carry it out. It doesn’t help to make a long laundry list of all the things you want to change over the next year.
Mrs SnarkfinanceSo true. Laundry lists are overrated. :)
I’m not one for resolutions, mostly because I do believe people don’t stick to them and they can be unrealistic in nature. I do agree with what you said, though. Next year’s theme for me is continuing to work away at my student loans, and I want to make a more detailed plan of action come January. Being vague isn’t helpful or motivating!
JourneytoSaving That sounds like a great idea!
Great stuff Cat! I alternate back and forth on making my goals public or not. Sometimes, for things that might be more personal, I like to keep them private.
Brian @ Luke1428I understand. For more private ones, I just tell my hubs. He’s good at reminding me and motivating me haha.
I always find it interesting talking to regular gym goers because they absolutely HATE the month of January. Everyone and their mother makes the resolution to go to the gym and get in shape. They go out and get memberships and crowd the gyms for the next couple weeks. Then slowly they fizzle off and go back to life as usual. For the year round fitness buffs, that’s a whole month of having to wait forever to use equipment.
MicrosMissionsHa that’s too funny. See, I just never go to the gym so my new excuse is that I don’t want to cramp the style of all the regular gym folk.
I made one resolution last year to not get any parking tickets…and guess what? I’m almost there! I’m so hyper paranoid now that I’ve only got a few weeks to go. :) Trust me it’s harder than it sounds around here. Other than that I make goals, but the one thing I WAS bad at was keeping them visible…otherwise you forget about them.
BeachbudgetNo way! That’s an awesome goal!
I plan to do much of the same as this year. I don’t know that I have any really bad habits I want to give up. I probably need to not stress out so much. Maybe that is a good resolution!
EyesonthedollarThat is a good resolution or to do something nice for yourself once a week or something like that! :)
These are great tips. I used to help people quit smoking, and the biggest things I stressed with them were to set a realistic plan to make themselves accountable.
My goal for 2014? I haven’t set one yet. It’s still percolating.
StaplerConfessionsThat’s cool that you helped people kick that habit. Come back and let us know when you decide on your resolution. :D
Well, my goals for 2014 are to get better grades and to save more money. That’s it.
I have two main goals for 2014. The first is pretty easy….I want to get my family into the eye doctor, get our eyes checked and new glasses/contacts for those who need them. We normally do this in September but we just sort of let things get away from us.
Second goal? Qualify for the Boston Marathon. :)
Ha! This is similar to my post today at Frugal Rules, Cat! Great minds think alike. :-) Seriously, though, I so agree about setting just one resolution. On the years that I’ve set several, I usually don’t accomplish any of them, as it seems too overwhelming.
I split mine by professional goals and personal goals;
Professional- Make $200 a month on freelance jobs by the end of 2014, find a new job or apply and get in to graduate school for 2015
Personal- Do a handstand!
I want to keep running three times a week like I did last year. It was a bit of a setback after traveling messed up with my routine, but getting back on the horse is easier when you don’t blame yourself and give up altogether.
I’m keeping my goals to a minimum this year. I’m making them ambitious, without being totally unrealistic and I’ll probably just make 3 or 4. I’m also making them super specific and cross-off-able :)