Keeping Motivated for New Years Resolutions

Making a chart

One thing me and my friends have started doing is making charts on a whiteboard and hanging them in our room (or wherever is most convenient). One of my New Year’s resolutions is to keep up with my skincare routine, so I have a board in my bathroom with a monthly calendar on it that I can tick off. Every complete week I allow myself a small treat as motivation. 

You can do this for workout plans, eating diaries, and even just doing your washing. No resolution is too small to keep track of. 

Keeping ourselves accountable

It’s difficult to keep ourselves accountable, especially when the resolutions we set usually only affect us, so by not sticking to them we’re not causing anyone else any harm. My friend and I have the resolution to get to the gym on a regular basis, so we’ve decided to go to the gym together and keep each other accountable. 

If you don’t have any friends with similar resolutions to you, try keeping yourself accountable in other ways. One way to do this could be by setting aside some money that you had saved for something you really want to buy, and unless you stick to your resolution you’re not allowed to purchase it. 

Remember why you set your resolutions

Another good idea to keep motivated is to write a list of all the reasons that you chose your resolutions, and how they could positively impact you in the future. Whenever you find yourself slipping away from them, read over your list and think about how determined you were at the beginning of the month. 

Revisit your goals

If you’re finding that the resolutions you set were a bit too unattainable and you’re struggling to keep them, instead of getting rid of them completely, why not try and make them a bit easier?

For example, if you’ve made the resolution to go to the gym 5 days a week but you’re struggling to fit it in around uni or you’re too tired, try reducing it to 3-5 days, so on busier weeks you’re not pushing yourself too hard. 

Don’t try to ‘fix’ yourself

Making your resolutions revolve around a perceived flaw within yourself can make them harder to achieve. Lack of results can make you lose motivation and fuel self-hatred, being kinder to yourself and focusing on your positive attributes is much healthier for our overall mental health. 

Instead of making your resolution to lose weight by exercising, try changing it to increase your physical health by exercising. Instead of making the resolution to go on a diet, try changing it to eating healthier. 

Remember that making big life changes all at once isn’t good for most people, and we need to build up small changes in order to keep them going. Last January I decided I wanted to start eating healthier, so instead of changing my entire diet all at once, I just cut out fast food, takeaway, and ordering from food apps. By only making that one small change, I’ve managed to stick at it for almost an entire year now!