New Year, new resolution. Creating New Year鈥檚 resolutions can be difficult, especially when we are faced with a laundry list of things we鈥檇 like to change, achieve or do this year. To help you be more successful, we鈥檙e sharing some out-of-the-box tips for making New Year鈥檚 resolutions (that stick).
Choose small steps over big changes
Many of us start our New Year鈥檚 resolutions with big goals in mind: be healthier, save money, make new friends, land a job or get into grad school. All of these are great goals to have, but sometimes larger goals can be daunting or difficult to achieve. Our advice: Break them up into smaller steps.
If you鈥檙e looking to be healthier, start by swapping soda for water, try a fitness class at The Rec, take the stairs or park further from campus. To save money, start by setting up a savings account, creating a monthly budget or limiting your impulse purchases. Focus on small achievements that will help you get closer to your end goal while keeping you motivated.
Remember, it鈥檚 the little things that tend to have the greatest impact.
Create habits
Creating habits is one of the best ways to reduce 鈥渞esolution fatigue鈥� and keep you from falling off the wagon. Even if we have fool-proof reasoning behind our resolutions, our motivation to follow through with those activities can begin to dwindle, especially after the initial excitement for the New Year wears off. That鈥檚 why we recommend working your resolutions into your daily routines, so you can keep going even when motivation begins to fade.
If you鈥檇 like to be better about going to the gym, start a habit of setting out your workout clothes the night before. This will make it easier to simply grab and go. Want to get better sleep? Try setting an alarm to notify you an hour before bed to give you ample time to wind down and prepare for a restful night.
Make it fun
Do you dread the idea of making New Year鈥檚 resolutions? Do you get overwhelmed by the amount of changes you鈥檙e expected to make in a single year? Rather than focusing on all of the things you鈥檇 like to change this year, try focusing on all of the things you鈥檇 like to do this year instead by creating an annual bucket list.
Think of activities that you鈥檝e always wanted to do. Perhaps you鈥檝e never wandered the Denver Art Museum, explored Rocky Mountain National Park or seen the sun rise at Yoga on the Rocks. Maybe there is a trip you鈥檝e been meaning to take or an activity you鈥檝e been meaning to try. Now is your chance to make it happen.
Come up with 10 to 15 activities you鈥檇 like to do this year and make a list. Each month, look back at your list and decide which activities you鈥檙e going to conquer. Not only will you be fulfilling your resolution, but you鈥檒l actually enjoy doing it, too! 听
