Years passed, people started their New Year's resolutions. There's really no need to wait for the New Year to set goals. But according to science, the turn of the year, or even the week, is naturally the right time to start a habit or reach a new goal.
Research by psychologist John Norcross found that resolution-makers are 10 times more successful at changing their behavior than people who want to change but don't make formal resolutions. Here are tips and guidelines as quoted from The Print.
1. Only make one resolution
A long list of resolutions will make your enthusiasm to turn sluggish and lazy. The reason is, your energy is scattered and may not even achieve anything. So it's better to focus on one thing, and actually do it.
2. Achieve small goals
For example, don't make "write a book" or "lose 20 kg" resolutions. But make it "write a book proposal" or "lose 2 pounds."
Failing to achieve an immediately large goal can reduce motivation. But meeting simpler goals often pushes us forward.
3. Make the resolution something positive
Frame your resolution in mind as something positive, not something negative. Social psychologists have found that positive thinking is associated with successful behavior change.
For example, if you are thinking about reducing the time you use your phone, it will be very difficult to resist the temptation to check your smartphone. When all you think about is "not looking at your phone," you become very focused on your phone. It made it even more difficult not to check.
So instead of just avoiding something "bad," think of yourself as replacing that behavior with something else. A "stop looking at your phone at night" resolutions might change to "read a book before bed" or "stop eating too much ice cream" might become "eat a piece of fruit after eating".
4. Give a time limit
Thinking about long-term lifestyle changes is exhausting. For example, will you really stop eating sugar, or start doing yoga, forever?
A better way to start is with a short or medium term goal. Try your new behavior for a week, a month, or 40 days, then evaluate what isn't working.
Most researchers on habit formation agree that it takes about 6-8 weeks to form a new habit. After that, the new behavior will start to feel more natural. And in fact, some resolutions may be better set as short-term goals first.
5. Aim for progress, not perfection
Whatever change you decide to pursue, make this your mantra. When you fail and feel like giving up, forgive yourself and keep going. The important thing is to keep going. The feeling of moving forward is inherently motivating.
And if you find yourself starting a lot of resolutions and never finishing them, stay focused on how far you've come rather than what you've already made.
We don't know what will happen in the New Year, or how it will affect our goals. But we all hope to be in a better place and condition in the new year.
