How to set New Year’s resolutions for 2024 and stick to them!

How do you create effective resolutions?
It can be challenging to motivate yourself all year long, and many people are tempted to give up altogether. But if done well, New Year’s resolutions can still be helpful. With that in mind, here are some tips for creating effective New Year’s resolutions.

Make them relevant to you
Start by considering what you want to do in the new year. Don’t think about what other people might want or what you think you should do. Instead, personalise your resolutions so they’re linked to your individual priorities. Start planning out what you need to do to achieve your goals, and don’t feel obligated to share them with others if you don’t want to.

Be ambitious, but also realistic
One of the most common pieces of advice when writing your resolutions is to be ambitious and ‘aim for the sky’. But it’s also not a great feeling to set an ambitious goal and then fall short. You can avoid experiencing disappointment by keeping your resolutions realistic. For example, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to learn a new language every week (unless you’re superhuman!). Your schedule might not allow you to go to the gym every single day. Try setting a more realistic timeframe or expectation that suits your abilities. At the end of the day, it’s the effort that counts.

Establish new habits to replace old ones
New Year’s resolutions often involve wanting to change an existing habit – eating less chocolate or becoming more organised, for example. In order to create change, we need to create a new habit to replace the old one.
Creating a new habit starts with doing something regularly. Let’s say you want to exercise more, but are uninspired by going to the gym. Instead, choose a new activity, such as running outdoors or swimming. Pick a time of the day that suits your schedule, and go out for a light jog or swim a few laps. Then, go out at the same time the following day, and run or swim a little bit further. After a while, you’ll be able to push yourself harder. These activities will become an unconscious habit – and before you know it, you’ve met one of your resolutions!

Reward yourself
Setting New Year’s resolutions is a lot of fun, but fulfilling them can be more challenging. The good news is you get to reward yourself afterwards. A reward is also important when staying motivated and maintaining your new habits. Ultimately, by creating resolutions you’re achieving more than if you hadn’t set those goals in the first place. This is definitely something to be proud of!