January 2019 Patient Care Report

Make That Resolution Stick

Wecanserve Magazine January 1, 2019

Struggling to keep at your NY resolution? Here are some simple ways to make them work

Not all New Year resolutions are made to be broken. Yes, we know it’s a struggle to master new habits and turn over the proverbial new leaf. It’s so hard that research says only 8 percent keep their NY resolutions through the year. A dismal percentage, we say. But we have a few tips and tricks that could help you stick with yours year-round.

Daily deal

Whatever your goals for 2019, create tiny actions that will help you work towards that goal. And make sure you do them every single day. For the rest of the year.

All’s well, even when it’s not

It’s ok to fail. What’s important is to keep learning from your mistakes and moving on. Keep your eyes on the goal and don’t let a couple of slip-ups take you away from the path to success.

Keep no secrets

Telling as many people about your resolution as you can really put your commitment to the test. Keeping resolutions private makes them ‘optional’ as there is no external accountability. At the very least, the thought of telling that annoying friend that you haven’t worked on your resolution all year will keep you on track.

Small is big

Hey, big goals are great but you may easily frustrate yourself on the way to getting there. And that could lead to giving up altogether. Break down your big goal into manageable chunks—tiny goals that can be achieved in a month to three months’ time. And see how you keep going!

Say no to too much, too soon

Don’t push yourself to over-perform with unrealistic goals. This will only lead to disappointment down the line as you find you cannot stick to the regime or habit you wanted to continue. Keep it simple.

Put it on paper

Study after study reinforces the importance of writing down your goals. Put it on your wall or your fridge or wherever you are likely to see it every single day. This daily reminder will help you stay on track, and will also come in useful on those days when you inevitably slip up.

Pick up the pace

Make your plan work by easing into your new habit, and picking up the pace as you go along. We are hardwired to resist big changes; so go easy at first. For instance, if your goal is to run a marathon in 2019, start by walking every day. Begin with a 1km walk the first week, moving up to 2km and then 4km, and slowly getting up to running.

Make it hard to fail

It’s not easy to make new habits. But it’s not that hard if you link it to an existing one. For instance, if you want to replace refined sugar in your diet with healthy sugars, keep a jar of honey where your sugar jar was. Want to start journaling? Keep your journal and an attractive holder full of pens at your favorite go-to spot in the house.