This time of year always gets me starting to reflect on the past year and think about what I would like to achieve next year. Being Jewish, we have our own Hebrew calendar with a new year starting in September, so I get to have this “New Year” beginning twice a year, lucky me!
New beginnings were scientifically proven to be a good time to kick start positive changes, there’s even a psychological term defining it: “The Fresh Start Effect”. Temporal landmarks such as a new year, religious holidays, relocating, starting a new job, or even just the first day of the spring, cause us to reflect on our life, broaden our perspective, and get inspired to set goals for positive changes.
Making changes at meaningful time points would be effective since those temporal landmarks allow us to separate our past self from our present self, forget our past flaws and give us a hopeful feeling of a clean slate, which motivates us to try to achieve our goals.
If I were to ask you what the key is to successfully achieve a typical new year resolution such as losing weight, starting to exercise, or saving more money, you would have probably answered as most people do: “willpower”. Or in other words: high motivation, strong self-regulation, and being ready to occasionally “suck it up”. But science shows that this assumption is actually incorrect.
The bad news is that according to Prof. David DeSteno, counting on our willpower to tempt down our desires and persevere in our long-term resolutions, leads to that only 8% of our New Year's Resolutions being kept until the end of the year and 25% of them are being neglected already in the first couple of weeks! But the good news is that there are strategies to follow to realize your resolutions.
Here are my top secrets towards successfully achieving your goals:
1.Define your resolutions - Use the S.M.A.R.T* goal-setting frame:
Specific – A clearly defined action that leaves no room for interpretation: ”Run 10 km" rather than "Be in good shape".
Measurable – Quantify it so you can measure your progress and achievements: "Lose 5 kg" vs. “Lose weight”.
Attainable – Keep it challenging yet possible and doable: Save $50 vs. $1000 per week.
Relevant – Make sure it's aligned with your values and desires: Do what you really want vs. what others think you should.
Time – sensitive - Define a reasonable time frame, a deadline that creates some urgency and provides a time when you can celebrate: "Finish my thesis by June next year" vs. "Finish my thesis".
2. Break up big goals into smaller ones – The new year's ambition can drive you to commit to a goal that's too big to achieve, resulting in failure. Break it up, either by dividing it into smaller manageable ones or by splitting a year-long one into monthly/weekly achievements.
3. Fight temptations- Set yourself up for success by creating the best possible environment to achieve your goal and removing temptations from your surroundings. Leaving a fruit bowl on the counter and removing candies from the house. You can also use Katy Milkman's "temptation bundling", which means bundling your temptation with the desired action: Watching your favorite TV series while walking on the treadmill.
4. Cultivate gratitude – Research has proven that grateful people are more successful in achieving their goals by showing more self-regulation and perseverance in their goals. You can do this by incorporating daily reflections to record the things you are grateful for. Note, it's important not to repeat the same things every day because it might lose effectiveness. It can be as simple as the bus arriving on time.
5. Practice mindfulness – More mindfulness leads to better decision-making and self-control that, in turn, increases your chances of achieving your goal. Mindfulness changes the way our brain functions: From "autopilot behavior" to be in awareness. Helping break this default mode of the brain's action is essential to successfully change your life. In addition, stress interferes with thinking and judgment, reducing the ability to control your desires. Mindfulness reduces stress, therefore improving your chances of achieving your goal.
6. Keep on moving – Changes are difficult, setbacks and mistakes may be part of the process. The important thing is that even If you fall off track, you learn from it, adjust where needed, and get back on track quickly.
Make 2023 the year that you will be pursuing the life that you truly desire. It’s only up to you and I know you can make it. You have everything it takes within you. So, set yourself up for success and go for it!
*By George T. Doran 1981
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