Now that we’re nearly a month into 2016, many of you may have already started to feel the struggle of keeping up with your new year’s resolutions. You’re not alone—according to a study by the University of Scranton published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, of the 45% of Americans who bothered making resolutions only 8% succeeded. Those aren’t good odds, but unlike the lottery, your actions can have a real impact on increasing your chances of success. There’s still hope—here are 3 more ways to #getthingsdone!
1) Refine your New Year’s Resolutions into Specific Goals
The most common mistake people make when setting their new year’s resolutions, is to set goals that are too difficult or too vague to complete. To illustrate here’s a list of the top 5 New Year’s resolutions from last year.
- Lose weight
- Get more organized
- Spend Less, Save More
- Enjoy Life to the Fullest
- Stay Fit and Healthy
What’s wrong with this list? It’s much too vague, when you look at a list like this you begin to realize why 92% of people fail their new year’s resolutions. Here’s what a refined list might look like:
- Lose X pounds.
- Get more organized in X by doing Y
- Save X dollars every month.
- Spend at least X hours every day with the people you love.
- Stick to X diet for Y days.
Notice that it’s important to really think about your resolutions and quantify them with a number or specify with a specific action. Instead of saying you want to be more organized, write out what specific part of your life do you want to be more organized in and specify an action on how you will accomplish that. This is the key to tackling your new year’s resolutions.
2) Looking to See More of the World in 2016? Combine Vacation Days with Three Day Weekends
Many people place travel at the top of the list of things they wish to accomplish during the new year, but few find enough time in the year to make it to all the destinations on their lists. If you’re lucky, you get 9 holidays and 2 weeks of vacation to scratch that travel itch, and realistically you probably will spend most of that vacation time visiting friends and family for the holidays in a single 1-2 week stretch. So how does one see more of the world without quitting their day job and taking up the vagabond lifestyle? By extending three day weekends with time off throughout the year, it’s possible to make travel a bigger part of your life. Starting with President’s Day on February 15, there are 6 more three day weekends left in 2016, not counting Thanksgiving and Christmas. That’s 6 potential travel destinations in the year, with enough vacation leftover to spend a week with the family over the holidays.
3) Keep Motivation High by Following a Fitness Blog
They say “you are an average of the five people you spend the most time with,” but what if you’re trying to get fit but everyone around you is a fellow couch potato? This quote by famed businessman Jim Rohn has bounced around self-help blogs and motivational books for years, but in practice it can be difficult to just get up and change your surroundings or the people in your life. Fortunately, the internet provides a means for you to stay motivated in your goals without necessarily changing your social circle. Here’s a brief list of top fitness blogs that cover a wide variety of fitness goals.
- Nerd Fitness – For the couch potato gamer who wants to level up in real life.
- CrossFit – Not just a blog, but also a gym chain that’s likely in your area.
- Workout Mommy – For the mom who must balance, work, parenting and gym.
- r/Fitness – Reddit is the front page for the internet
- Dai Manuel – For those who need a mentor who treats fitness as a lifestyle.
- Ross Training – Learn strength training from a professional boxing coach.
The right online community can give you access to the people you need to expand your social circle. As well as take advantage of the Law of Averages Jim Rohn leverages in his famous quote. Pick the one that most resonates with you.
Leave a Reply