New Year's Blog
Author: Adan Khan 4 mins 54 secs
With 2020 coming to an end, you would be planning to set new goals or creating new habits to kick start the new year. You may choose to be more productive, get more organised, get into reading – they all sound familiar? Perhaps you made similar goals last year and the year the before that. Creating new habits will take time and dedication. It’s new behaviour, and it wouldn’t come automatically overnight even though the common mindset is to reap the new habit’s benefits as soon as possible. So how can you make sure you stay determined with your new habits up until Easter or even beyond? No need to fret, we have compiled a list of things you need to view to make sure you stay on track and make long-lasting changes.
Don't wait around
You don’t need to wait for the 1st of January to come to start a new habit. Instead set your resolutions before the New Year’s day since that creates an active commitment compared to creating a resolution because that’s just a thing to do. You are more likely to fall out with your new habit if you end up making one if you thought it was culturally appropriate by setting your resolution before you are reducing the likelihood of setting impulsive goals and allows you to plan and modify your goal to achieve a more personal and better outcome.
Think big and keep the end goal in mind
You are allowed to dream big. Setting audacious goals are compelling. Things like managing your study and social life, juggling everything at once are right mental place holders to think about when you have started your journey towards your goal. You need to only think of them as an end goal – the reason why you’re working on your new habit right now.
Many people fail their resolutions because they become too stuck with their big dreams and slow progress. They cannot distinguish that their big dreams as being the aspirational end goal. Everyone only needs perseverance, support and encouragement. An ambitious aim will often also inspire others around you. Some may even be happy to help you in practical ways and share and advise them to help you progress further.
Break those big dreams down to bite-size chunks
Now you need to break your big dreams into smaller, chewable pieces. It would be best if you thought on the micro, the only way to get closer to your ultimate goal is by setting creating smaller goals. This will put you on a better path to success as you complete those targeted, smaller goals. Just getting to first base can build your confidence – and succeed at – more difficult tasks that may come later down the line.
You don’t need to disdain if the smaller goals are straightforward. Even simple tasks like “Make sure to create a daily to-do list” will get you into the habit of knowing what needs to be done on the day and therefore make you more productive than your previous self. Snowballing your way will leave you with more gratification of your journey and allow you to enjoy the process, thus ensuring you achieve your resolution.
Understand why you shouldn't make a change
Not all resolutions need to be made. You need to know whether the change you are trying to make is truly beneficial for you. Rather than you doing it because your friend is doing it is not the right reason. If your goal is to get the desired grades you want, you can’t stick to one way of studying because it is what your friend recommended. Otherwise, you’re working against a headwind and are less likely to experience lasting results.
Everyone is different and have their preferences. One person’s style of learning may not suit another. It would help if you educated yourself first before you set out on your working for your goal. Getting even a general idea about your plan is a great start to make. You need to do your research and understand the nature of the change you want to make. The more relevant and trusted knowledge you gather, the more informed you will be about what the journey will feel like. The more research you perform, the easier it is to feel genuine excitement about your future and the end goal. Change is a good thing when you work towards reasonable goals and make you happy.
Be committed by sticking to your passions
There are a lot of things you want to accomplish, and it is excellent. It is also effortless to get excited about creating new goals when they revolve around something you care about. Therefore, initially, it is best that you mainly stick to the most passionate things. You will be able to use that passion to move forward with your life next year. Your goals don’t have to be at the top of your class or gaining recognition for your grades – they can be solely for your enjoyment.
Consider what you’re passionate about and know what drives you. What makes you feel excited inside? You can use your passion to make goals that will motivate you and make you enjoy the process. You can stick to your desires more by being accountable to them. It will be enjoyable to work on the things you like, but you also need discipline along with it. Make a written or verbal commitment to people you would not want to let down. This will encourage you to slog through when you are in a tough spot.
If you want to take it to the next level, you can always create a penalty when you cannot commit to your promises. Things like having to pay £5 if you don’t get a project done by a set deadline give you more reason to do it since you don’t want to give your valuable £5 to your friend whom you made a promise with.
Keep track and reward yourself
You have been to keep track of the progress you’re making. This allows you to compare your current self with your past self and evaluate the difference left to achieve the ultimate goal. At this point, your habits would have become second nature for you, and you don’t have to think twice before you are already ticking things off of your To-Do list.
Instead, you need to see review your habits. See where are the things that can be modified. The things that seemed are to your past self may not be for your current self. Rather than sticking to the same regime and leading to stagnation, mould your tasks to best suit your progression leading to the next month or three months. This adaptive process will ensure you are maintaining progression, no matter how small and slowly getting close to your ultimate goal.
However, you don’t need to wait to reach your big dream to celebrate. Always reward yourself when you finish your micro-tasks or complete the short term goal. Encourage yourself to keep at it by pausing to acknowledge success as you tick off small and big steps en route to a goal. This boost in motivation allows you to continue going stronger while recognising the progress you have made leading up to where you are now.