5 Tips for Keeping New Year’s Resolutions
The year’s start is a natural time to think about creating new habits to become your even better self. There’s wisdom in this approach, but unfortunately most who start their year with great intentions, or resolutions, don’t reach them. That’s not because we don’t want to, or don’t have enough willpower. Rather, it’s human nature to resist change. The good news is that we can use science-backed strategies to increase the likelihood of achieving our goals.
Here are 5 tips that research shows are powerful antidotes to change resistance.
1. The Fresh Start Effect.
There’s a reason New Year’s resolutions are so popular. When we link intentions to what we think of as ‘fresh start’ times, we’re more open to shifting behaviors. New Year’s is the most universal ‘fresh start’ time — but so are Mondays and birthdays. The fun in this tip is that if you fall of the ‘new year’s resolution wagon’, you can start again, next Monday!
2. Make it Easy.
Most of us fail to achieve our New Year’s resolutions because we focus on goals that are too big. It’s fine to set lofty goals, but putting in place — and focusing on — tiny steps and systems to reach them greatly increases our likelihood of doing so. For example, a common big-goal resolution is “lose 20 pounds”. Focusing on one tiny step at a time, might start with one of these: “walk 10 minutes, 4 days a week” or “eat 4 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, at least 4 days a week” or “sleep at least 7 hours, at least 4 nights a week”. Each of these tiny steps will contribute to the weight lost goal, but they’re not so big that they trigger our natural resistance to change. It’s easy to imagine how, after successfully integrating one of these new systems, they can become additive over time, and get you to your goal.
3. Link the New Behavior to an Existing Habit.
This approach is also referred to as ‘habit stacking’. If you’re already in the habit of having a cup of coffee or tea in the morning, and your resolution is about decreasing stress, a stacked habit would be to practice 2 minutes of mindfulness as you drink. Sit and notice the warm cup in your hands. Be more aware of the beverage’s aroma. Savor its taste. These behaviors will quiet your mind and help you start the day more relaxed. This might even lead to a more formal morning meditation practice!
4. The 2-Minute Rule.
This tip was popularized by James Clear in his book Atomic Habits. The idea is to overcome the initial barrier to starting by making the task so simple that it’s almost impossible to fail. Even if you stop after 2 minutes, you’ve reinforced the habit and made it easier to do more next time. The next time you’re feeling stressed, try focusing on your breath for 2 minutes and see what happens. Do this regularly and it will become second nature to breathe, instead of reacting to stressful situations.
5. Harness the Power of Mindfulness.
The mindfulness we practice in yoga is directly transferable to everything else we do in life, and is incredibly helpful in reaching our goals. Forgetting that intention we set weeks ago (or even this morning) is a natural part of our human experience. Mindfulness helps us remember our intention and brings more awareness to our actions. When we are mindfully aware of our physical needs, we’re more likely to resist cravings and remember more nourishing alternatives. Mindfulness shifts us out of ‘auto-pilot’ and helps us recognize habit loops for what they are: old patterns that no longer serve us.
I hope these tips are helpful, whether you’re already on the path towards achieving your new year’s resolution or still pondering where to start. Don’t worry about trying them all at once, just pick one or two to try. For brevity, I haven’t included all the tips in my coaching toolbox, just some of my favorites. If you need help showing up for yourself and following through, consider yoga (applies to mindfulness and fresh start tip) or coaching (applies to all the above). I’d love to help you get there.