Do you struggle with your new year’s resolution? Have you achieved your goals last year? Or did you give up halway through?
Sadly when a new year starts the alarm clock doesn’t suddenly turn into your best pal. Pizza doesn’t suddenly look any less yummy. And work doesn’t spontaneously turn into a piece of cake.
Thoughts will creep in. I am tired I can work on my side hustle tomorrow. A piece of chocolate would be really comforting right now… Do my goals really matter?
Now the biggest question you probably struggle with is: How do I make myself stick to my plans? Where do I get the willpower and self-discipline to not sleep in on a Saturday morning? I really don’t feel it. How can I get myself to work out.
Let’s jump right in: How to stick to your goals:
- Set realistic goals and start small
- No skipping, no excuses
- Find partners in crime
- Don’t question yourself or your goals
- Enjoy what you are doing
- Figure out what triggers your motivation
Set realistic goals:
Your goals need to be achievable. Its very unlikely that you will be a millionaire in a year. The same goes for when you write down too many goals at once. (Speaking from experience, I always wrote down too many new year resolutions and already I felt so burned out after a week that I gave up.) Check out The 12 Week Year Method and SMART goals to set up your goals for success and increase your productivity during the journey.
Read the complete guide of goal setting here
Start small. Imagine you play a racing game and each time you finish a small goal you’ll get a speed up. The more tiny goals you achieve, the faster you get. You’ll get momentum. With each small goal you achieve you’ll get more motivated. Keep it going do a little each day or it’ll be so much more difficult to start new without the momentum carrying you.
The trap of “I don’t feel like it” - Why skipping will make you quit
What if i feel sick? What if work is so busy I can’t find the time? What if the bus is delayed and I get home too late today?
There are a thousand excuses we give ourselves. If we start skipping one day it’s fine right? It’s just 24 hours, right? But 24 hours will turn into 2 days, into a week, and suddenly you are following your old patterns once again. Worst of all you know you are giving yourself excuses and you’ll feel guilty as hell.
Time is not found, Time is made.
30 minutes a day doesn’t seem like much. But with 30minutes a day you can create and sell your first product, you can publish a book, and you can build the essential skills to get that promotion.
Sometime you “just have to do it” like Nike would say. You’ll build your self-discipline and stop your habit of procrastination. Sticking to your plans will get easier over time.
Find partners in crime
Tasks are always more interesting when you do them in a team. Especially when the team members share the same goals and interests.
Just think about it: Your goal is to start a youtube channel in 2022 and increase the traffic of your website. Joining a discord group, or looking for YouTubers in the same category, can help you gain more knowledge from people who are ahead of you.
You can find collaborations that will push your channel forward. Or you can share problems and struggles and get feedback from people who live or lived through the exact same circumstances.
There are thousands of discord and Facebook groups online and with a bit of Googling you will also find a private WhatsApp group you fit in.
Don't question yourself and your goals
There will always be bad days, where you worked your butt off but you couldn’t get everything done. Or when you pushed through weeks and weeks but the estimated results just don’t kick in. Don’t question yourself and don’t question your goals.
Instead ask yourself: Why doesn’t it work out? Why do I not achieve my goals? Are my action steps getting me where I want to go? Did I procrastinate to much at the beginning of the week? Or did I just estimate the time wrong for this project? Why is nobody looking at my work? How can I make it more interesting for my customers? Are there certain skills I need to improve to do better?
Remember: Life is a journey.
It’s useless to beat yourself up for not “being enough”, “doing enough”, or having no or bad results. Stay confident and see it as a challenge to overcome. Grow from it. Learn from it.
Enjoy what you are doing
You need to enjoy what you are doing, otherwise, it will get hard to stick with it day by day. And believe me, 365 days can be a long time. Look at your goal and look at the path you set for yourself – are you burning to do it every day until you hit your goal? Is there a better way to achieve it?
Figure out what triggers your motivation
How can I motivate myself to achieve my goals?
Even when you love the journey, there will be days you want to hold onto your blanket and stay in bed. Or you sit in front of your notebook, but the document stays empty. You need a good motivation boost asap.
And as we all know, motivation doesn’t come on its own.Take notes on what makes our heart flutter, what makes you jump in excitement. How can you recreate that feeling?
Maybe it’s a movie character or a song, your favorite TedTalk, or an inspiring YouTuber. Or maybe it’s your favorite podcast launching every week. Of course, it can also be actions, like cleaning your house or working outside in a coffee shop. Find what works for you and use it to your advantage.
Get inspired by 22 New Beginnings Quotes for the New Year
BONUS TIP: The quick fix.
Are you just reading this post and procrastinating on something important? Not working out as you are supposed to? No motivation to work on your goal? I want you to do this:
Turn on your favourite upbeat music. Close your eyes. Breath in breath out. Start your task. Don’t give your brain enough time to think. Jump right into the task. Like jumping from the 5 meter.
Now it’s your turn to transform your goals into reality – but before you leave: What are your tips on staying committed to your New Year’s resolutions? Share them in the comments below.
