10 Tips for Making Resolutions that Actually Stick

Small changes, smart strategies, and self-compassion are your keys to success

1. Be SMART – Make goals Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (e.g., “walk 30 mins, 3x/week” not “exercise more”).
2. Start small – if you’re wanting to exercise more or start exercising at all, add an extra hour or day to your existing routine, and if you’re starting anew, don’t overdo it to the point where you’re so turned off or sore, that you vow never to do it again.
3. Learn the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of Change – The TTM method implements five stages—precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance—to help change unhealthy habits.

Change takes time and effort, and doing something difficult like stopping smoking sometimes takes several attempts. Knowing what to expect can help you get through the rough spots without being too hard on yourself. Speaking from experience, I know the TTM works.

4. Give yourself some credit – celebrate the small wins as much as the big ones. Your habits weren’t formed overnight, and they’re not going to be transformed in one go. So be patient with yourself and cut yourself some slack.
5. Let technology help – there are several apps that are geared to helping you succeed. Being accountable is important, so invest in some sort of tracking application that charts your progress and helps you set goals. Some people still like writing in a journal but technology really excels in this department for the main reason that it can send notifications on a daily, weekly (even hourly) basis, so lean on it where you can.
6. Create a vision board – seeing pictures of what you want to attain keeps you focused on the prize. They can be digital or legit cork boards hung on a wall. Vision boards work and can be as simple or as fancy as you want them to be.
7. Have a resolution buddy – if you have a friend who also is trying to stick to a new regime or change a habit, make a plan to check in with each other. Also, these are modern times: chances are that whatever it is you want to do, there’s an online community already established, so let that work for you. Join in. You don’t even have to leave your house.
8. Positive Framing: Focus on what you’ll add (more reading) rather than what you’ll subtract (less TV).
9. Change your surroundings – we’re not talking about moving to a new location (unless that’s totally in your realm of possibilities of helping you succeed); we’re talking about packing up all the wine glasses if you want to stop drinking, or remove all the ashtrays and lighters if you want to stop smoking; or maybe it’s putting the yoga mat where you can see it so that it reminds you to gear down for a session. “Out of sight, out of mind” is a 700-year-old idiom for good reason: it’s true. 
10. Positive affirmations – remember Stuart Smalley from Saturday Night Live? He was onto something. Affirmations work because how you talk to yourself has a direct correlation to how you think of yourself. So, go ahead; look in that mirror and say, “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!” Stuart had other worthy affirmations, too, so jot them down on Post-it notes and stick them where you can see them: “I deserve good things,” and “I am a capable person.”
    

Changing habits takes work, and if at first you don’t succeed, you try and try again until you do. Because the benefit (your mental/physical/emotional/financial/spiritual health) is worth it. Good luck. You got this.