The following is a guest post from regular contributor, Emily at So Damn Domestic.
Let’s face it. We’ve all made crappy New Year’s resolutions before.
Ones that we abandon after just a few days…
And we might feel guilty about it.
Or maybe we just feel like, “Meh… I’ll do it another time, when the time is right.”
Want to make your resolutions count this year? Want to make them matter?
You’ve got to start by making the right ones.
Resolutions that don’t suck.
1. Make a resolution you actually want to achieve.
Believe it or not, a lot of times, the resolutions we make are out of what we feel is some kind of obligation. To ourselves, to others, to the world… These resolutions often have feelings of guilt attached to them.
And I’m kind of against guilt being a major factor in our lives. It’s just not worth it.
So please, make a resolution you actually want to achieve. Not one you think you SHOULD want to achieve.
2. Make a resolution that makes sense for this season of your life.
I want to learn to play the ukulele. For real. I really really do. But…
Right now isn’t the time. I have tiny kids, and I’m building my business, and I’m happy to have two showers a week. It’s not ukulele season for me.
This year, I’ll make a resolution that fits in with my current priorities and focus.
You should too.
3. Make a resolution that will make a difference in your life.
Do a bit of visualization.
Picture yourself on December 31, and what your life will be like if you achieve your resolution. If you meet your goal. What will you feel like? What will be different?
Is it amazing? Does it get you really excited and motivated? Awesome.
Is it… underwhelming? Pick a different resolution.
If you’re working hard toward a goal, you want it to matter in your life.
4. Make a resolution on paper.
Dr. Gail Matthews conducted a study at the Dominican University in California and determined that just writing your goals down, with no other changes, makes you 42% more likely to achieve them.
Even if you just scribble your goal on a post it note and tuck it in your bedside table.
Writing it makes a huge difference.
5. Make a long-term plan for your resolution.
If it’s worth doing, it’s worth spending time on. Don’t make a resolution you plan or hope to complete in the first month or two of the year.
Don’t make it a sprint. Make it a long-term change.
So, start with your big goal and break it down into smaller steps, until you have one tiny step to work on first. Then, be sure to check in with yourself every month or two about how it’s going, what’s working, and what needs to change.
And make it happen. All year long.
Emily Chapelle offers motivating guidance to busy homemakers who are ready to make changes that last. Why? So they can spend more time on the things and people that really matter. She shares home organizing tips, hints for decluttering your life, time-management tricks, and other homemaking topics at So Damn Domestic.
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Start the Year off Right with a New Year’s Resolution Worksheet {free printable}
Morgan says
Great tips! I agree that it’s so important to look for resolutions that mean something to you, something you want to do, versus just forcing something.
Emily @ So Damn Domestic says
Absolutely! Remembering that they’re for YOU and making them authentic is the way to go.
Meg says
I write my resolutions out on paper first, and usually blog about it to keep me accountable. I have learnt that less is more. So this coming year, my resolutions will be shorter than usual – but at the same time, practical and things i cant wait to achieve!
Emily @ So Damn Domestic says
Less is more – soooooooo true. Have you made yours for this year already?