These tips will help your new year resolutions stick!

The new year is always filled with ambitious resolutions. You've most likely spent the last few months of the year planning and goal-setting for the next 12 months. But, trying to change your whole lifestyle at once can be overwhelming. The key to success is to keep your goals simple, concise, realistic and achievable.

For some people, flexibility within a goal is what helps them to reach it. For example, if your goal is to exercise more, you could try aiming for 30 mins of exercise a day, making it easier for you to fit it in before or after work. And don't be hard on yourself; setting goals is a task within itself.  Don't try to do it all at once and, if you slip up a day, just start again the next.

We have put together some tips to help you stick to your new year's resolutions:

Stop procrastinating, just start!

Easier said than done, hey? If you are procrastinating a lot, question your motives for setting the goal and what is making you put it off. Maintaining motivation is easier when you are passionate about your goal and the reasons why you are striving for it. Making your resolutions realistic and in-line with who you are will give you the drive to be productive, and see your resolution through.

Got many goals and not sure where to start? Prioritise and spend more time focusing on your top goal first, instead of distracting yourself by making new ones.

Make it simple

Define your goals, break them down into smaller achievable chunks and make them measurable. Forget the goals that you think you couldn’t do, and focus on the resolutions that you really can accomplish in the year.

Write it down

Keeping a daily or weekly journal is a great way to record milestones and key memories from the year, forming the stepping stones towards your resolutions. It could be a great opportunity to reflect once you’ve achieved a goal and keep track of your smaller successes along the way.

Explore more

Commit to spending more time outside, with family and friends. This can range from ticking fitness off your resolution list, to a weekend road trip or just travelling more? Being active will keep your mind focused when back at work.

Be Positive!

Sounds easy right? Your mindset is a huge factor in whether you achieve your goals. Try to treat yourself with kindness and create moments of happiness along your journey. It can come in the form of treating yourself once a week or when you tick off a goal, going for a walk in the morning before work or taking up a new hobby? If one of those New Year’s resolutions involves taking up a short course, you can check out our full range of courses here.

If New Year's resolutions are not your thing, how about following what artist, @julianorthman on Instagram, is doing with a "More this, less that" list for 2019, which focuses on smaller improvements rather than radical changes. We think this would be a fun little list to put up on your wall in the office or home and remind you throughout the year. 1

1 https://www.thecut.com/2019/01/stella-bugbee-editors-letter-january-2019.html