8 Tips to Help You Stick to Your New Year Resolutions

“There is nothing magical about the flip of the calendar, but it represents a clean break, new hope, and a blank canvas.” – Jason Soroski

Saving money, losing weight, and traveling more were among the top New Year resolutions for 2018. With 2019 upon us, billions of people across the globe are finalizing a new crop of new year resolutions and hoping to stick to them. Unfortunately, research shows that only 8% of people actually achieve their new year resolutions. The good news is that there some simple steps you can take to help you become part of that elite 8%. Below are eight tips to help you stick to your new year resolutions.

1. Minimize distractions when setting your resolutions

If you are serious about setting New Year’s resolutions and sticking to them, then you need to find a quiet distraction-free place to think about your goals for the upcoming year. Before you sit down to narrow your goals, choose a location where you are not likely to be interrupted by family, friends, or pets. Then, make sure you turn off your cell phone and other electronics so you can fully concentrate on the task at hand.

If back to back business trips or social events have you struggling to find spare time to focus on your goals for the upcoming year, you can treat yourself to a distraction-free ride through a luxury car service. You can sit back, relax, and focus on your New Year’s resolutions in peace while a professional driver handles your bags, the traffic, and the transportation to your next event.

2.  Write down each of your resolutions in detail

Writing down your resolutions in detail is one of the most powerful steps you can take to help you achieve your goals. In addition to helping you remember your resolutions, writing them down helps ensure that your resolutions are properly stored and encoded. Most importantly, you will be more likely to stick to your resolutions.

“Vividly describing your goals in written form is strongly associated with goal success, and people who very vividly describe or picture their goals are anywhere from 1.2 to 1.4 times more likely to successfully accomplish their goals than people who don’t.”

–  Mark Murphy, Founder of LeadershipIQ.com



3. Make sure your goals are lofty but attainable

If you come up with resolutions that are nearly impossible to attain, you will likely set yourself up for failure and disappointment. For instance, if you have been making $50,000 per year for the past three years and make “Earning $200,000” as your top resolution, the odds of you achieving that goal are slim unless you have a great new job lined up right now. On the other hand, you will not grow or be challenged if you come up with resolutions that are too easy to achieve.

4. Post your resolutions in highly visible locations

Posting your resolutions in locations where you will see them frequently will help you make sure you do not conveniently “forget” what you have resolved to do in the New Year. Here are some good places to hang or post a copy of your resolutions for easy viewing:

• On your refrigerator
• On your computer’s screen saver
• On the side of your bathroom mirror
• On the back of your tablet or mobile phone
5. Share them with your family and friends

“An emerging tactic: share your goals with your friends and family. It’s another way to build accountability, especially in the Facebook era.”

– Dan Diamond, Forbes Contributor

Sharing your resolutions is a great way to hold yourself accountable for sticking to them. Family members, friends, and social media contacts can all help you stay motivated and on track to reach your goals. There are many ways you can share your resolutions, including the following:

• Verbally during discussions with friends and loved ones
• Online using social media platforms
• In writing through your blog content or online forum posts
6. Outline some specific ways to achieve your goals

Achieving all of your New Year’s resolutions can seem like an overwhelming task unless you have come up with some manageable strategies to tackle them. Here are some examples of some common resolutions with specific ways to achieve them:

• Lose weight: If you are battling the bulge, an appropriate strategy would be to vow to exercise 30 minutes a day at least 3 days each week.
• Be on time: If your top goal is to be on time for your business trips, start using a professional car serviceto get you to the airport on time.
• Save more money: Vow to set aside 1% of your income in January and gradually increase that percentage by 1% each month.
7. Include dates and deadlines

Listing dates and deadlines as you prepare your resolutions is a good way to help you stay on track and avoid procrastinating. For instance, rather than simply listing, “Exercise more” as a goal, you could resolve to, “Make 20 half-hour trips to the gym by the end of February and 12 trips per month during each subsequent month.”

8. Reward yourself for achieving your resolutions

Treating yourself to an enjoyable experience or a special “must-have” item is a great way to motivate you to stick to your resolutions. For instance, if you are a travel enthusiast who has always longed to celebrate New Year’s Eve in style, you may wish to book a year-end trip to one of the world’s top ten places to go for New Year’s Eve as a reward for achieving all of your resolutions. You can kick off your reward trip by using a chauffeured car service to ensure that you arrive at the airport on time and well rested so you can enjoy your trip.

The Bottom Line

Nearly half of all Americans will make at least one New Year resolution this year, yet less than 10% of them will actually stick to them. Whether you are a seasoned goal-setter or this is your first time setting resolutions for the upcoming year, it can often be difficult to follow through on the resolutions you set. By following the tips above, you can help increase the chances that you will achieve your goals in the New Year.