2 Easy Tips for Successful New Years Goals!

Whether you’ve been neglecting the spinach in your fridge, your Apple Watch activity reminders, or putting off the same task for another week - we have things we know we should be doing to work towards a healthier life. The problem is, we search things like “Abs in 21 Days!” and “7 Day Juicing Cleanse” for a quick fix instead of actually spending the time to rewire our brains and create sticky habits for the long-run.

Here are 2 tips to creating sticky New Years habits that don’t put you on a rollercoaster of disappointment.

1. Start Small

   1. I believe that most failed goal setting starts with only having the end goal in mind. This is something I am also preaching to myself! You can have an end goal in mind but the secret to successfully hitting goals is to also set mini step goals between where you’re starting and where you want to be.

   2. For example, if your goal is to go to the gym 5 times a week but right now, you’re only going 2 times, set a goal of going 4 times and then build once you’ve successfully built the habit of going 3-4 times per week.

   3. Set a goal, create a realistic timeline, and then set mini goals between here and your large goal. That way, you’re less likely to get frustrated that you’re not magically hitting your goals and then quit!

2. Habit Stack

   1. From James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits, one of the best ways to build a new habit is to identify a current habit you already do each day and then stack your new behavior on top.

   2. For me, this looks like getting up to spend time with Jesus and working out. Both are very hard to do in the morning so I stacked my habits. Now, I read my devotional and pray while on the treadmill so my brain is awake and alert and I am also moving my body. Then, I’ll go into my weight lifting after that time and I’ve gotten both tasks done before I start work!

   3. What habits are you already doing that you could stack another habit on top of?