Proven ways to make and keep your resolutions in 2024.
Kathleen at Cha’ Cocina | Colonia Versalles Puerto Vallarta Mexico
It’s that time of year again! The new year is upon us; for many, that means setting a New Year’s Resolution. Whether it’s to get in better shape, read more, or learn a language achieving your goals will take more than wishing them into existence. We’ve all heard the stats — 3 out of 4 people give up on their resolutions by February of the same year. To keep your resolutions in 2024 and not be another statistic, you must set clear goals and a plan. Keep reading for tips on reaching your goals and becoming your best self in 2024.
What are resolutions and why do we make them?
The New Year’s resolution tradition dates back to ancient Babylonia over 4000 years ago! Of course, much has changed in 4000 years. For one, they celebrated the new year in mid-March, and people would make promises to the gods rather than themselves.
Today, we see the new year as a fresh start — a chance to start over and improve from the past year(s).
Personally, I believe that we should always strive to improve. Unfortunately, what humans haven’t improved on in the past 4000 years is keeping their resolution. With close to half the adult population setting a resolution, a whopping 9% keep it.
So what is that 9% doing to stay on track? Let’s take a look, starting with setting your resolutions.
How to set New Year’s Resolutions
The secret to effectively setting a New Year’s resolution that you’re bound to keep is to set SMART goals. SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.
Be specific
How often have you heard someone make a resolution to get in shape? “This year I’m going to get in shape”, they proclaim. Ok, but what exactly does that mean? What does it look like? What is the end goal?
It could mean anything from losing 20 pounds to looking like Aquaman to running up the stairs without losing their breath.
When making your resolution ask yourself precisely what you want to achieve and where you want to be at the end of next year. If it’s to get in shape, specify weight loss, BMI, VO2 Max. If it’s to read more, identify how many books or how much time you want to read daily
Attainable
This one will require us to be honest with ourselves. I know many people who make grandiose resolutions to impress others or motivate themselves. The objective here should be gradual and sustainable self-improvement. So, if you resolve to become a runner in 2023, running a marathon may be unrealistic.
A specific, measurable and attainable goal may be to train four days a week to prepare for a 5 or 10k by the end of the year.
Relevant
Whatever resolution you make needs to be something important to you, something you want to achieve.
Don’t resolve simply because others are making it or you saw it on a top resolutions article. If you follow through with it, it needs to MATTER TO YOU. Ask yourself, what do you want to improve in your life? What makes you happy?
Time-bound
And finally, time-bound. Generally, we want to achieve our resolutions by year’s end but we can still have mini-goals or parameters throughout the year. If you’re striving to run a 10K under 30 minutes by the end of the year, try having a smaller milestone like running it in an hour by June.
How to keep your resolutions
Okay, so you’ve set your SMART resolution and are ready and eager to make 2023 THE year to achieve it. How do you make sure you stay on track?
Create a plan
If you’ve used the SMART goal process outlined above, this should be easy-peezy. Once you’ve determined your specific goal for the year, you need to plug in some info. How will you measure your progress, in what timeline and progress check-in dates along the way?
Make the process a resolution
Earlier I mentioned that 90% of people fall through on their resolutions by February. Not a motivating number, is it? There are many reasons why so many people fail or give up. Lack of a plan is one reason but also that most resolutions require a shift or change in lifestyle or new habits. It takes an average of 66 days to build a practice.
If you want to keep your resolutions, your number 1 focus at the beginning of the new year should be building the habit that will help you achieve it. If your resolution is to get physically fit, and you plan to do this by hitting the gym five days a week, then you need to focus on making going to the gym five days a week happen.
It will be challenging at first. You’ll be tired, and probably sore, and you may struggle to adjust your daily schedule to make time for the workout. But even after one month, you’ll notice a change. Going to the gym will feel like second nature, like taking a shower or stopping for coffee. In two months, it will be a part of your routine that you’ll feel off if you miss a day.
Set a micro-challenge of going to the gym five days a week for two weeks, then one month, then two months and on and on.
Celebrate progress
One of the many benefits of having milestones or mini-goals is the ability to recognize the progress you’ve made. Celebrating how far you’ve come can help keep you motivated, remind you why you’ve set the goal, and provide you with a nice little dopamine hit to keep you going.
You don’t need to throw an elaborate party or night out to celebrate (but hey, do you). Simply acknowledging the progress or telling a friend can be just as rewarding.
Share your plan with others
Sharing with others is a great way to keep your resolutions. Letting your family in on your goals will create a feeling of accountability. If they know what you’re trying to achieve, they may be more understanding and supportive if reaching your target makes you less available than before.
Furthermore, you may find other people with similar goals by talking about your resolution.
Final Thoughts
So there you have it, proven ways to help keep your resolutions in 2024. My resolution is to do a 30 minute, resistant training workout every day in January and go from there. I also want to read and meditate 10 minutes a day every day, at separate times of course.
-written by Kathleen