5 Steps To Accomplishing Your New Year’s Resolutions

5 Steps To Accomplishing Your New Year’s Resolutions

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It’s that time of year that calls for personal reflection and it came around so quickly. Skeptics might roll their eyes at the thought of creating a New years’ resolution, because they’ve seen how it can lead to very little progress in the end. Well, they’d be right. It’s not as easy declaring a resolution and hoping for the best, but it’s not as hard as it seems either. Here’s 5 strategies that’ll make accomplishing 2018’s resolutions a lot easier:

ADOPT THE 5 SECOND OR 2 MINUTE RULE

Both the 5 second rule and 2-minute rule are valuable ideas presented by two heavyweights in the self-help industry:

  • The 5 Second Rule was created by author and speaker Mel Robbins, who used this habit to lift herself out of a deep rut. The rule helps you follow through with habits by reducing the amount of time between thinking about the action and taking the action — so you can’t talk yourself out of it. Mel swears by the rule for getting her through an unmotivated and tough phase, to finally creating the life she wanted. She first used it to get out of bed in the mornings without hitting the snooze button. Every morning, she’d count down from five before launching out of bed like a rocket.
  • The 2-minute rule: This productivity hack was coined by David Allen, the author of Getting Things Done. He says, when scheduling or writing to-do lists, ask yourself “will this take 2 minutes to accomplish?” It might be taking a phone call or hanging clothes on the line. Whatever it is, if it can be done in 2-minutes, it’s not worth scheduling — so do it straight away.

 

KEEP A JOURNAL

Putting thoughts onto paper can take them from the ephemeral whirlpool of your mind and make them concrete and coherent. A journal is a great tool to clarify your goals and identify what’s holding you back. It helps to make better decisions and stick to goals. Below are a three different ways to utilize a journal. Try one, or all of them out until you find one that resonates:

  • Morning pages — This technique created by author Julia Cameron is so simple. The idea is to write a stream of consciousness onto (exactly) three pages every morning. Cameron swears by its ability to clarify her thoughts, comfort her and prioritize what’s important. The popular technique helps to address any worries you might have, first thing in the morning, so you can get on with your day. ““Once we get those muddy, maddening, confusing thoughts on the page, we face our day with clearer eyes” writes Cameron.
  • Best Self Journal — Helping you accomplish your 3 month goals without fail, The Best Self Journal is growing exceedingly popular. It keeps you on track with prompts and questions, to remind you of your goals.
  • Try bullet journaling — Another craze in the world of organization-hounds and dream-driven people, the bullet journal is a new method of planning your days, weeks, months and even years. Starting with a blank page and this video describing how it works — the bullet journal  is a more liberated version of a planner. For this reason, it’s a become a popular alternative to diary keeping. Helping to track long term goals and you can use your journal pages for jotting down ideas, to-do lists, and whatever else you require.

 

USE YOUR SPARE TIME TO READ AND LISTEN TO INSPIRING PODCASTS

Whatever your goals are for 2018, there’s sure to be a podcast, or book that can help you get there faster. They say the winners work smart, not hard and this is precisely why filling your mind with lots of knowledge is a great endeavor. If reading is an impossible feat, listening to a podcast while you’re walking, or commuting is an equally good alternative. Try this one by Tim Ferris, or this one by Neon Life to get started — both are interview based podcasts with heaps of motivation and knowledge for your personal growth.

 

KEEP YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE

Declare your goals to anyone and everyone in your close knit circle of friends. Tell them when you’d like to achieve the goal and take it one step further, by getting them to offer up a meaningful ultimatum if you don’t reach it. Here are three more ways to hold yourself accountable:

  • Know your ‘why.’ A concept developed by Simon Sinek in his book Start with Why, knowing this, is the clincher to sticking to a goal. If your ‘why’ for doing something is not compelling enough, you’re a less likely to stick to it. Write your ‘why’ down somewhere and when you feel yourself lagging in motivation, read it again should help you stay inspired.
  • Plan ahead. Most goals require adding small, new habits into your week, but these won’t get done unless you schedule or prioritize them. For example, if you want to increase your fitness, schedule in an hour or two for meal preparation during the week.
  • Get an accountability buddy. This might seem like idealism, but you can find a good accountability buddy — as long as you’re looking outside of your circle of friends. The best accountability buddies are mentors, bosses, or someone that’s going for the same or similar goal. You could schedule time once a week, or once a fortnight to skype or have a coffee with them and stay updated on each other’s progress, brainstorming new ideas and providing support.

 

PLAN YOUR DAY THE NIGHT BEFORE

This one is really crucial. Planning your day the night before, is a great way to infuse your morning with more purpose, because you know exactly what you’re doing when you wake up. Make sure to schedule one small step towards your goal each day the night before. It helps to break down larger tasks into less overwhelming bites. Yes, you still achieve your goals by working slowly towards them; stress is definitely not a prerequisite for productivity.

Blog lovingly provided by Ella Liascos.

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