5 ways to keep your new year’s commitments
Introduction
Staying on track with your goals can be a daunting challenge, and often, it has little to do with the sheer strength of your willpower. Instead, it's about understanding the mechanics of learning new habits or releasing old ones. Whether you aim to refrain from alcohol for a month or establish a year-long fitness and wellness routine, the principles for making positive changes are similar. Here are my 5 key tips to set yourself up for success in 2024!
small but Steady Steps
Success in habit formation starts with taking small, manageable steps just beyond your comfort zone. Whether you're looking to break free from an old habit or embrace a new one, incremental progress is key. Take it one day at a time and gradually expand your boundaries. The book Atomic Habits by James Clear (aff link) is an excellent guide to creating new habits. In the book James explains how teaching yourself to add something new to your routine can be helped if you “Stack” your habits, so add one behaviour to another that already exists. For example, you could start a set of squats when you make your morning coffee. Another key strategy is using small incremental steps. I managed to get from 6 minutes (3 x 2 mins) to 15 minutes ( 3 x. mins + 1 x 3 mins) of skipping in a year by adding 1 minute to each set over months.
2. Find your Why
Dig deeper into why you've chosen a particular goal to help you anchor the desire in a specific context. This is a key part of staying on track when you feel like falling off. What's the motivation driving your actions (or inactions)? What benefits would you get from keeping this up? It helps if the perks of this commitment go beyond yourself, and you can find a larger set of positive outcomes for this behaviour for your family, community or workplace. For example, if you decide to move 3 x per week for 30 mins, the benefits could be increased energy and stamina, which will help you be more focused at work and more patient with your family. Write down your reasons and motivations somewhere visible to serve as a constant reminder, keep this in a journal you look at daily, or on a post-it stuck to your computer, and remember to read it!
3. Use Visual Tools to Track Progress
Keep a visual record of your journey by marking off the days you complete the tasks you committed to. Visual tools provide a tangible representation of your progress, reinforcing your commitment and serving as a source of motivation. Examples of this could be a sticker chart, coloring in boxes on a grid, marking off your calendar or for more fun, download my Printable Success Streak Sheet below and you can give yourself a tick every day you meet your commitment.
4. Celebrate Milestones
Evaluate your progress by comparing your current status to where you started. Celebrate small milestones along the way, acknowledging your achievements and reinforcing positive behavior. This process not only boosts your morale but also instills a sense of pride in your success. You could celebrate weekly once you have completed 7 days of a commitment, or monthly after keeping up your wins. It is important to reward yourself, but not with the behaviour you are trying to avoid, so DON’T celebrate a week of not drinking with a glass of wine! But DO have a dance party, have a sweet treat, give yourself a massage or another positive reward.
5. get External Accountability
The probability of success increases exponentially when you have a person or group supporting you, and regular communication, and providing updates on your daily and weekly progress is one of the keys to completing your commitment. Choose someone (or some group) who will not only cheer you on but also hold you accountable if you falter, offering the support needed to get back on track. This is your team, your cheering squad, your backers. It could be a partner, friends, family, work colleagues or people you don’t even know! but declare your commitment and share it to make your ability to complete what you have set your mind to easier.
Why not join my Ground to Grow Program this january to meet like-minded individuals who want to support you?. This 4-week program could be just what you need to start the year of Winning. Learn more about it here. When you share your goals with a supportive individual or group you increase your sense of responsibility. That is why a gym buddy system or having a Coach works. I am here to help you stay on track toward the goals you are trying to achieve, and in a way that supports you mentally and emotionally to implement the changes you want to create. Book your Free Call here to see if we would be a good fit to work together!
Conclusion
An additional key to this process is kindness and compassion to yourself. You may fall off your commitment, you may stray from your goals but the key is to choose to try again the next minute, next hour, next day. Beating yourself up for not perfectly executing something new will only keep you stuck. Instead, understand that this learning process may involve a few stumbles, but if you keep getting up and keep trying again, you are more likely to succeed in the end.
Staying on track and forming new habits is not solely about willpower; it's a systematic process that requires careful consideration and planning. By taking manageable steps, setting realistic expectations, using visual tools, measuring progress, celebrating milestones, and seeking external accountability, you can enhance your chances of success. Remember, the journey is as important as the destination, and each step forward is a victory worth celebrating!