If you're like most people who have made a New Year’s Resolution, you're reaching the point where most people start to give up. Here at Day to Day Fitness, we don't want that to happen. We want to help our local community (Severna Park, Annapolis, Arnold, and Pasadena) improve their lives and meet their goals. Now, how do we do that? In this blog we are going to share with you all some proven methods to increase the likelihood that you'll stick with your resolution in the near term regardless of topic.
1. Make sure your Resolution is Detailed
This is a huge mistake that we see for all goals that people make for themselves. If you have a generic goal or outcome you're looking for like "Make a million dollars!" or "Lose weight this year!" you're setting yourself up for failure. Just reading those goals out loud makes me want to give up if I'm honest. Why is that? That's because it's proven that goals written to be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound or S.M.A.R.T. will help you keep things in perspective and take active action. I'd recommend setting a 30-90-day goal for yourself initially. If you are new to this process then I'd recommend shorter goals.
2. Read it Every Morning.
Let's face it, we are wired to have short attention spans these days. It's so easy to ask questions and point yourself in various direction that we are all addicted to it. It's much more difficult to dedicate yourself to something specific for a chunk of time. One way to do that that many extremely successful business people recommend is reviewing your goals every morning. This helps you ensure you're spending your valuable time on the things that matter to you. It helps avoid time traps or veering off course from what you wanted to focus on. Put a small notebook by your bed, move your phone into another room or far away from you, and reach for those goals (pun intended).
3. Log your Work & Realize your Progress
It can also be a challenge to realize and notice the progress you're making. This is especially true when the progress is slow-and-steady, which it is for improvement in most things. Making some sort of log or tracking system to track your progress that you stay on top of is an amazing way to keep yourself motivated. Imagine if you could see your improvement over 3 months in benching 100 pounds to 150 pounds! Or logging your hours invested into programming and the speed at which you can complete a project. Being able to show yourself that your time and energy investment has paid off is one of the strongest motivators you can have.
4. Find a Resolution Buddy.
Having someone counting on you to put energy toward something can do wonders for your ability to "stick with it". When your husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, children, co-worker, or anyone in your life needs you it is so much easier to show up. I know the only guarantee I'll wake up early sometimes is someone needing me to be there for a workout or early airport ride. Point being, find a buddy who is interested in sharing the same resolution or goal as you. Set an accountability method up, and share your logs with each other, and keep each other on track. If you're competitive in nature, I'm sure you'll find a bit of extra motivation in trying to do a little bit better than your friend...in the spirit of progress.
If you're starting to struggle in the New Year take on these steps and get back to it! Don't slow down and don't let anything stop you. You've got this.