New Year Resolutions - Six Tips to Help You Stick to Them

Author: Prakash Rao

Source: ezinearticles.com



Why does anyone resolve to do something during the coming year?

The resolutions generally relate to one or more areas that you see as a fault or limitation, or an area you can improve in your quest for perfection. Weight loss, smoking cessation, anger management, time management, better control over spending and finances, even public speaking - all of these come under one of the categories above. These resolutions, if followed, would eliminate a negative quality or acquire a positive quality. Unfortunately, many, if not most, people fail to stick to whatever they resolve to do.

Why do people fail to stick to their New Year Resolutions?

Reluctance to leave comfort zone. Most people operate in their comfort zone, in their cocoons, with the equivalents of their little rubber duckys or like the Peanuts character Linus and his blanket. When they are in this comfort zone, the old habits, addictions and attractions are difficult to lose. You can only achieve your goals when you leave your comfort zone. The only way that you can leave the comfort zone is if it becomes uncomfortable. Imagine that you are sitting in a comfortable armchair near a cozy fire on a cold winter's night. The only reason you would leave such a comfortable position would be if your chair was on fire. So light a fire under that armchair and leave your comfort zone.
Fear. This is similar to the reluctance to leave comfort zone, but extends beyond that. The human animal is a bundle of fears that he (I use "he" or "him" in a neutral sense) collects like a pack rat right from childhood. It includes the fear of rejection (by an individual or by a group), the fear of ridicule, the fear of personal injury and the fear of the unknown (hence the comfort zone). The best way to overcome any fear is to stare it right in the eye. Are you a man or a mouse? (Or a woman or a... whatever!)
Insufficient motivation. The worst thing anyone can do is resolve to do something to please someone else. You would be emotionally blackmailing yourself! If you don't have a direct reward for what you believe is a sacrifice on your part, your motivation for the sacrifice is superficial at best. Do what you set out to for your own sake and see the reward as commensurate with the action. Don't think of this as a sacrifice.
Lack of plan of action. A friend of mine came up with this gem: Vision without action is only a daydream, and action without vision is a nightmare! Likewise, the old chestnut goes: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Do take the effort to set a goal (what you will do), state the mission (why you will do it), and formulate a clear plan of action with milestones.
Taking on too much. 180 degrees (U-turn) is too drastic to achieve or sustain. The elephant must be eaten only one bite at a time. The change must be evolutionary, not revolutionary. Take small steps, consolidate the position, and then push forward to the next step. Set your sights lower. If you want to quit smoking, cut down the frequency from twice an hour to once an hour, then once in two hours, and so on until you can go for a few days without a smoke. When you quit cold turkey, the craving will distract you to the point that it may even be beneficial to smoke! Likewise, if you want to improve your time management skills, trying to adopt a system overnight is nigh on impossible. Take small steps like managing your appointments, managing your task list, managing your priorities, etc.
Impossible to track progress. With goals such as weight loss and smoking cessation, it is possible to see progress. For example, if your goal is to lose 15 pounds, you can track your progress by weighing yourself every day. However, if your goal is to control your anger or your time, you cannot track the progress. Find appropriate metrics. For example, in the realm of stress management, your metric could be the number of times in a day. For time management, the metrics could be how efficiently you complete the task. The metric allows you to set SMART goals - specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely.

By taking the steps outlined above to defeat the six patterns that thwart sticking to new year resolutions, you have a better chance of achieving what you set out to.

Prakash Rao is a time management coach with a very unique approach: Control time within tasks as much as you control which tasks you perform. This approach allows Prakash's clients to be effective, efficient and error-free in management of their tasks and their lives. For more information about Prakash's techniques please visit http://www.domorewithlesstime.com To avail Prakash's coaching services, contact him at prakash@vksassociates.com.