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Michele Ferron
Written by Michele Ferron
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How to make New Years Resolutions that stick

Michele Ferron
Written by Michele Ferron
How to make New Years Resolutions that stick

I love the start of the year - the smell of excitement, fresh plans and opportunity.

I have had a love/hate relationship with New Year's resolutions, like many. 

I've heard a lot of people say not to set them but, - unpopular opinion alert -  I disagree. I think reflection is good, and the start of the New Year is as good a time as any. 

So, how do you make New Years Resolutions that stick?

Spoiler - it’s about building habits rather than focussing on big end goals.

“Rather than focusing on the outcomes that you want this next year, focus on the identity that you’d like to build.
The goal is not to read 40 books this year, which might be a New Year’s resolution you set. 
The goal is to become a reader, to develop that identity. 
The goal is not to run a marathon this year, which might be the New Year’s resolution. The goal is to become a runner. 
The goal is not to lose 40 pounds. The goal is to become the type of person who doesn’t miss workouts.
The more that you organise your habits around an identity rather than an outcome, the more that you see the value in just sticking with it, even if it’s a small thing.”
—James Clear, author, Atomic Habits

 

We’re a huge believer in small steps to create big change. 

Consider  this: The easiest things to do, are also the easiest things not to do. 

Like Stephen Bartlett says in The Diary of a CEO book -(not his exact words)  it's easy to not brush your teeth one day, and it won’t have a huge effect that one day, nor two or three - but over months, it will be life altering. 

I’m a huge believer in building strong habits. With an ADHD brain, it's the way I have been able to create some 'normality' in my life. For example, one if the most crucial habits for me is to look back into the room before I leave it - and I'll often notice that I left an explosion of mess without realising it. This used to debilitate me, having rooms of chaos after getting into the flow of something - but now, after years of practice,  I stay on top of it by tackling it when I leave the room. 

Another habit I cultivated is reading for 5 minutes a day - which means I have managed to read more books than ever. I have set a tiny goal for each day, just 3 minutes, and I read before I switch Netflix on, or instead of scrolling on social media. Often I'll go over the 3 minutes, but if I don't, no great shakes, goal accomplished.

We've designed various habit trackers. Writing the small goals down make them visible and therefor actionable. Holding yourself accountable at the end of each day is a motivator. 

So, my  suggestions for this new year: 

Bon chance, mes amis!

Happy New Year.