And just like that, the first half of 2018 has flown by, If you're looking at the resolutions you made six months ago and have suddenly realised you haven't accomplished a single thing yet, don't panic. There's still time.
And just like that, the first half of 2018 has flown by, If you're looking at the resolutions you made six months ago and have suddenly realised you haven't accomplished a single thing yet, don't panic. There's still time.
Keep your resolutions where you can see them
Real talk: you felt the urge to make all these improvements to your life because of the “New Year, new me” vibes that are around in January. But as the months slipped by, life got in the way and you forgot about your resolutions because they’re out of sight and out of mind. The solution? Write down your resolutions and make sure they’re somewhere highly visible, like stuck on your mirror.
Make sure your resolutions are specific and realistic
When it comes to setting achievable goals, the more specific, the better. So for example, if your resolution was to get it this year, you might want to adjust it to something like “join a new itness class”, “try to hit the gym three times a week (the key word is try!)” or “run 5km”.
Another thing to consider is whether your resolutions are realistic to begin with. If you’re a smoker, statistically speaking, your chances of succeeding on your first try is less than six percent. So instead of saying you’ll quit smoking in 2018, you can start by saying you’ll limit yourself to one smoke break per day, or go smoke-free on weekends. That way, you’re not setting yourself up for failure. And when you feel good about actually achieving your target, you’ll be more motivated to quit smoking completely.
The bottom line is, reminding yourself it’s not all-or-nothing will help alleviate some of the stress that may be holding you back from achieving your goals.
Prioritise your resolutions
Have more than three resolutions? Rank them according to how important they are to you. This way, even if you don’t manage to tick them all off by the end of the year, at least you’d have achieved those that matter most to you. Plus, there’s no hard and fast rule saying you can’t roll over some resolutions to next year, right?
Give yourself a schedule to stick to
Now that you’ve reworked your resolutions, it’s time to give yourself a timeline to work with. Say you want to overhaul your bedroom: set a date for when you need to get your mood board ready, spring clean, repaint your walls, make a trip down to IKEA, and so on. Treat it like a work project with milestones to hit, and you’ll find yourself halfway to the finish line in no time.
Hold yourself accountable
You know what they say – taking the first step is the hardest. If you need a kick in the butt to get started on your resolutions, why not tie it to something that’s hard to wriggle out of? So if your aim is to travel more this year, buy some plane tickets before you give yourself anymore excuses. Or sign yourself up for a 5km or 10km run so you’ll have no choice but to start training for it.
Remember that change takes time
When it comes to selfimprovement, you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself if you aren’t seeing the changes as quickly as you’d like. Breathe, and remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day. And hey, at least you’re doing something rather than nothing about it!
“You felt the urge to make all these improvements to your life, but as the months slipped by, life got in the way...”
Images 123RF.com Text Sophie Hong.
