As the year changes, people begin their New Year's resolutions. There is actually no need to wait for the New Year to set goals. But according to science, the passing of years, or even weeks, is naturally the best time to start a habit or achieve a new goal.
Research by psychologist John Norcross found that resolution makers are 10 times more successful at changing their behavior and habits than people who want to change but don't make formal resolutions. The following are tips and guidelines as quoted from The Print, Monday (2/1/2022).
1. Only make one resolution
A long list of resolutions will make your spirit sluggish and lazy. The reason is, your energy is scattered and maybe it doesn't 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 a "write a book" or "lose 20 pounds" resolution. But make it "write a book proposal" or "lose 1 pound."
Failing to achieve a big immediate goal can demotivate. But meeting more modest goals often drives us to keep going.
3. Make the resolution something positive
Frame your resolution in your mind as something positive, not something negative. Social psychologists have found that there is a link between positive thinking and successful behavior change.
For example, if you are thinking about reducing the amount of time you spend on your smartphone, it will be very difficult to resist the temptation to check it back and forth. When all you think about is "not looking at your cellphone", you actually become very focused on your cellphone, and it makes it even more difficult not to check it.
So instead of avoiding something that is "bad," think of yourself as replacing that behavior with something else. The resolution "stop looking at your cellphone at night" can be changed to "read a book before going to bed" for example. Another example, a "stop eating so much ice cream" resolution could be "eat a piece of fruit after each meal."
4. Set a time limit
Thinking about long-term lifestyle changes is overwhelming. For example, are you really going to give up sugar? Or, can I do yoga forever?
A better way to start is with short or medium term goals. Try out your new behaviors for a week, month, or 40 days, then evaluate what works and what doesn't.
Most researchers who study 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 moving forward. The feeling of moving forward is inherently what motivates us.
If you often start with lots of resolutions and never finish them, stay focused on how far you've come rather than what you've accomplished.
We don't know what will happen after New Year 2022, or how it will affect our goals. But of course we all hope to be in better shape in the new year.
How are you, ready to start your New Year's resolution?
