The time is upon us once again when we decide to be better and do things to improve our lives – yes it’s New Year’s Resolution time!
We’ve been back at work for a couple of days now. For us, it meant a particularly strong cup of coffee this morning, however there was one member of the team that skipped the coffee-run, due to a New Year’s resolution to cut down on caffeine, as well as sugar and alcohol!
There has been a lot of research in recent years on resolutions and a recent YouGov survey revealed that nearly two thirds (63%) of British people plan to have a New Year’s resolution. Sadly, a third (32%) of these are expected to break the resolutions by the end of January – come on guys!
There are going to be a bunch of reasons that can make it difficult to achieve goals. So with what festive spirit we had left, we thought we’d put together one of our helpful lists, to help you stick to whatever resolution(s) you’ve chosen for 2017!
Here are the FIVE magic tips:
Only make one.
No really – making too many resolutions means you could lose track of your goals or simply crumble under the pressure of keeping them all up. By choosing one, you can focus on achieving your goal and sticking with it.
Make it matter.
It’s easy to pick a common resolution such as getting fit, dieting, quitting smoking etc. If you are going to make a resolution this year, make sure it’s relevant to you. Think about what you want to achieve in the next year of your life? The answer will provide a solid foundation of the right resolution for you and help you achieve your ultimate goal.
Be original.
We’re not saying invent a resolution that nobody has ever tried (but if you do, let us know!). We’re talking about not trying one you’ve already attempted. The chances are if you’ve tried it before, you’ll probably come up against the same stumbling blocks – don’t set yourself up for disappointment!
Track the benefits.
There are loads of beneficial resolutions, but making it worthwhile is the key. If you’d like to lose weight, you could put £1 into a jar for every pound you lose, and then spend the money on something nice at the end (ideally not a junk food blow out – but maybe a spa treatment or a deposit towards a mini break). This is even more applicable if your resolution provides financial benefits. If you’re quitting smoking for example, try putting the money you’d spend on cigarettes each week into a piggy bank. At the end of the year, you can seriously treat yourself with the amount saved… and we mean seriously!!
If you slip, don’t fall.
Doing something different takes time. They say for something to become a new habit, you need to do it for 66 days (approx. 2 months). So if you do stumble – don’t worry, the trick is to get back on track and not look back. We are human after all!!
There’s loads of information scattered all over the internet, but these tips stuck out for us as meaningful and helpful. Maybe we should tell our colleague who’s trying to give up caffeine AND sugar AND alcohol to simplify their goals a little. Besides, they’ll probably be a much nicer person in the morning if we can convince them to have coffee again…
So there you have it! We hope it’s been helpful and to everyone who takes up the New Year’s Resolution mantle – good luck and make it count!!