Photo by Matheus Bertelli
New Year Resolutions, a certain percentage of people make one and have one. That opportunity to wipe the slate clean and reorganize our lives, setting goals and having expectations can be exhilarating but as the weeks and months roll by, momentum is not only lost but these resolutions are either discarded or completely forgotten until the end of the year and the cycle starts all over again.
Why do we fail to stay committed to achieving the goals we set for ourselves?
According to an article published by Mindstate Psychology “Staying committed to your New Year goals is less about sheer willpower and more about adopting proven strategies rooted in psychology. By understanding how your mind works, you can overcome common pitfalls like procrastination, loss of motivation, or unrealistic expectations. “
Here are 5 strategies to help you achieve accountability and stay committed to your New Year resolution.
Write It Down
Imagining and setting goals is easy, but to begin the journey of accountability and achieving your goals requires you to have a clear idea of what your objectives are and how best to go about achieving them. Hence it is important while you are reflecting and coming up with your New Year resolutions, you make an effort to put your resolutions down in writing.
Whatever is written can be reviewed and strategies to achieve the set objectives and confront whatever challenges that may stand as obstacles to achieving the goals can be addressed.
Having a personal diary or chart board to write down your objectives along with timelines for achievement can go a long way in ensuring accountability and helping you reach your New Year resolution targets.
Be Realistic with Your Goals
Having a list of 20 goals for your New Year resolution might prove challenging as compared to having 3 or 5 as your New Year resolution goals. This is where having your goals written down becomes necessary as it helps you sieve through what is important or not and what is achievable or not.
Setting unrealistic goals as part of your New Year’s Resolution can cause frustration and affect the overall objective of improvement you seek.
Therefore, as you draw up that New Year’s Resolution list, avoid the impulse to take on too much at the same time. Achieving one or more goals can be a great morale booster than failing at achieving none.
Set Timelines
For each resolution listed, endeavor to set timelines for achieving them. This could also require you to break these resolutions into small chunks. Whether it be in weekly, monthly, or quarterly sizes, being creative with your goals is essential to achieving them. Perhaps you are looking to attain an additional qualification, reduce weight, or learn a new skill, breaking down each process into tiny bits and reviewing your progress at the end of each timeline you have set can help you accomplish more compared to if you had jumped in headlong to achieve all your goal all at once.
Learn, Adapt, and Get Support
Having and pursuing your New Year resolutions will always come with unforeseen challenges. Encountering setbacks or missing out on the expected timeline is no justification to despair or abandon your resolutions altogether.
No one said it’s going to be an easy ride to self-development. Therefore, see setbacks as learning opportunities, and be flexible in adapting your timelines and materials that can provide the support you need to achieve your goals.
Find Accountability Partners
Whether it be a friend, loved one, or family member, having individuals who you can share your goals with, daily, weekly, or monthly progress reports, and who are willing to provide a support system that ensures you remain accountable for achieving your objectives can be of great help as you work towards achieving your New Year resolutions.
Okechukwu Nzeribe works with the Onitsha Chamber of Commerce, in Anambra State, Nigeria, and loves unveiling the richness of African cultures. okechukwu.onicima@gmail.com
