Many of us made New Year’s resolutions at the beginning of January, and many of us may now be struggling to maintain our resolve on those goals we set. So, we asked around for some tips and tricks to revisit those goals and set ourselves up for success for the rest of the year. Here’s what we found:
Amy Goodson, a registered dietitian and nutrition consultant based in Dallas, Texas, offers these five tips to get back on track if you’re starting to feel the resolution wagon tipping over.
- Get an accountability partner: “Talking to someone about your goals can help encourage you to accomplish them. If that person participates with you, even better!” Goodson says.
- Have a reward: “Maybe your goal is to lose weight. For every pound lost, reward yourself with a couple dollars in a bucket. When you finally reach your goal weight, take it out and buy new workout gear or something that you wouldn’t have purchased without your accomplishment.”
- Schedule it in your day: “This is imperative. Write it down, and look at it over and over. Put sticky notes in familiar places you look often or on [the] fridge to help remind and motivate you.”
- Don’t limit yourself. “Have you already reached your goal? Make a new one! Maybe you don’t like your specific goal. Change it! You want your goal to be fun, and something you look forward to.”
- Take out the things that are not necessary. “This is probably the most important thing on the list. Stop wasting time on those things that do not matter. Rank the major things in order that you need to do that day, and accomplish them from the top of the list, down. You will feel so much better at the end of the day that you conquered your top priorities!”
Life coach Gloria Mitchell recommends putting pen to paper to get on course.
“Take a moment and sit down and write down what your goals for the year were and then write down why you think you have fallen short,” she says. “Next create a way to counter those problems.”
For example, Mitchell says, “If you didn't stick to your food plan because you snacked when you got stressed out, write down an alternative thing you can do the next time you get stressed.”
Mitchell also recommends doing daily check-ins with yourself.
“This is crucial,” she says. “Just checking in at the end of the day, looking at your goal, what you [did] to work towards your goal and making a plan to counter any problems that tripped you up that day will go far in helping you stick to the goals you've set for the year.”