Happy New Year! Have you made a resolution? In 59 Seconds, I describe how best to keep your resolution….here are my 10 top tips, and a little video….
1) Make only one resolution, your chances of success are greater when you channel energy into changing just one aspect of your behaviour.
2) Don’t wait until New Year’s Eve to think about your resolution and instead take some time out a few days before and reflect upon what you really want to achieve.
3) Avoid previous resolutions; deciding to re-visit a past resolution sets you up for frustration and disappointment.
4) Don’t run with the crowd and go with the usual resolutions. Instead think about what you really want out of life.
5) Break your goal into a series of steps, focusing on creating sub-goals that are concrete, measurable, and time-based.
6) Tell your friends and family about your goals, thus increasing the fear of failure and eliciting support.
7) Regularly remind yourself of the benefits associated with achieving your goals by creating a checklist of how life would be better once you obtain your aim.
8) Give yourself a small reward whenever you achieve a sub-goal, thus maintaining motivation and a sense of progress.
9) Make your plans and progress concrete by keeping a handwritten journal, completing a computer spreadsheet or covering a notice board with graphs or pictures.
10) Expect to revert to your old habits from time to time. Treat any failure as a temporary set-back rather than a reason to give up altogether.
Are you going to make a resolution? What is it?
Richard Wiseman 
Happy New Year Richard 😀 And thanks for more good advice that does work 🙂 Have an excellent year and best wishes for every happiness and success in all you do 🙂
I have a better idea.
Don’t make a resolution..
What you don’t make you can’t break.
Why do you need one day each year to make you do what you should be doing anyway?
And avoid disappointment .. again..
I have a New Year Resolution – I need to get a job.
I have already set in motion steps towards this aim, having just completed the Level 2 Certificate for Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools. I am looking for a Teaching Assistant position in a Primary School in or around the London Borough of Bexley.
Last year’s resolution was fulfilled. I vowed to be part of The Olympics. I was a volunteer performer in the Olympic Opening Ceremony and also volunteered as a Gamesmaker for both Games and as a London Ambassador during the ‘Transition’ between the Olympics and Paralympics.
“1) Make only one resolution, your chances of success are greater when you channel energy into changing just one aspect of your behaviour.”
A much better idea is to make two opposite resolutions. That way you can achieve a 50% success rate. For instance :-
I will to eat well, lose weight and live healthily. It’s important to think of the future. You only live once.
and
I will enjoy my life, eat and do what I whatever I feel at the time. It’s important to live in the moment. You only live once.
I think I have it covered.
i want to lose 3 stone, Ive lost over 5 stone in a year, and cant wait to reach my goal weight by my birthday.
Hi Gail, well done on the weight loss so far! 🙂 Send me your height and weight and your email address and I will work out a personalised programme for you. Let me know what your goal weight is and when your birthday is and I’ll help you get there x
maximiseyourhealth@yahoo.co.uk
Great advice! 2 years ago I realized my resolutions were not working so I tried something completely different: make one change every month that would benefit the environment. I began with easy ones. January: switch to travel mugs instead of disposable. Feb: switch to cloth bags. Later ones were more challenging: give up paper towels, start a compost pile.
2 years in and despite a few snags I’ve made many improvements that, surprisingly, have made my life better as well. I’m not sure why these worked so much better than personal resolutions but maybe some day I’ll figure it out.
Great article, but I would like to add one caveat. It may not always be the best idea to tell others what your resolution is. In many cases it’s a great strategy, but it could backfire. http://dft.ba/-3hJZ
Another view of this issue from the incomparable Mr Munroe 🙂
http://xkcd.com/1154/
Except….what an abysmally timed post! To post on New Year’s Day that….
“2) Don’t wait until New Year’s Eve to think about your resolution and instead take some time out a few days before and reflect upon what you really want to achieve.”
…seems completely useless advice.
Richard – don’t forget to suggest extra lifeboats on the Titanic as well…..
I never make New years resolutions-suspect they were invented by puritanical types to ruin a holiday. Best time for any self-improvement is when it’s needed, whatever time of year.Gave up spoiling New Year’s ages ago-never been sorry.
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