Study Suggests That Only 19 Percent of People Achieve Their New Year’s Resolution
For many of us, a new year’s beginning means a new set of goals and resolutions. We see people around us making New Year’s resolutions and then giving up in the middle. Some people succeed with their travel plans, losing weight, getting their dreawm job and other goals. You might be either of them, but we are thriving to make your new year’s resolution work this time.
A study conducted by researchers at the University of Scranton suggests that 77% maintained their pledges for just 1 week and only 19% for over two years. The study was conducted on 200 New Year resolvers and tracked their self-change attempts for over two years. So, if you want to fall in the category of those 19% achievers, we have some great ideas that will help you to achieve your new year’s resolution, and they work.
1. Plan the right resolution
There are chances that you might lose interest in your resolution after some time or don’t find it useful and related. The reasons behind losing interest in your resolution might be because of these three reasons.
- It’s very vague: Think before jotting down your resolution in a diary, don’t make a random goal and say ‘I want to travel this year’ or ‘I want to pursue my passion.’ Your goals must be clear and specific. You can plan to travel to some specific place and prepare for it in advance by saving money and researching the destination.
- You’re doing it because everyone is doing it: Do not get inspired by social media and society. Make the resolution that fits your requirements and helps you to grow.
- You’re setting unachievable goals. It is important to understand that a goal must be rational; you just cannot set a target of getting six-pack abs within a week. Achieving some goals requires more time than others; you must set a reasonable period to get to your goals.
2. Be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Trackable)
Specific: You need to be clear with your goals. A vogue goal saying ‘I would stop consuming sugar’ or ‘I would stop eating unhealthy food’ isn’t going to work. Instead of saying so, you can plan for how much sugar you would consume and keep track of your sugar intake. Plan for how many days in a month you’d eat at a restaurant. Making unavoidable goals fail every time, specific goals work effectively.
Measurable: If you are making your new year’s resolution to lose or gain weight, buy a new car or get over your debt, you must make a measurable resolution. Instead of saying ‘I want to lose weight,’ plan how many calories you want to intake and how many pounds you are going to lose or gain in a month. Make a diet chart and follow the schedule. If you’re planning to buy a car, make a chart of your spending and cut out unnecessary spending and save more.
Achievable: An achievable goal means a realistic goal that can be achievable and encouraging. You cannot make a goal to run 10k if you have not run ever in your life, instead, start with shorter runs and plan for a long-term goal. Giving yourself an unachievable task will only disappoint you, and chances are there that you end up quitting on your goals.
Realistic: A resolution must mean something to you and add value to your life. A new year’s resolution is not always about being productive or learning new skills, it should be more about personal growth and self-grooming. Sometimes finding a new hobby worth more than learning to code. You ought to work on your skill set to grow professionally, but a New Year resolution for personal growth is equally rewarding.
Timely: A timely goal determines that you track your progress precisely and accomplish it within the targeted duration. It is important to monitor your progress to know if you’re on schedule.
3. Plan in advance, prepare for the obstacles and have patience
Your life isn’t going to change overnight, and your resolution isn’t going to magically accomplish anything. You’ll have to figure out the way to get to your new year’s resolution. You can start by printing your goals and sticking them on your bedroom walls, marking your start date and end date in your calendar and setting reminders for every task.
You likely meet some obstacles in the first few weeks of starting your resolution. You need to make a list of possible obstacles and challenges that you might face and prepare yourself to overcome them. Some strong habits, such as smoking, drinking, or overusing smartphones are hard to get over and take a relatively long time to overcome.
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It is necessary that you make a reasonable plan, and prepare yourself for the possible challenges. You might need to take some help from the professionals, and do hesitate to take the help.
Do not disappoint or discourage yourself if things are taking too much time. Have patience and ask your friends and family to support and encourage you to achieve your new year’s resolution.
4. Do something extra this year, do something for a cause
Maybe you’re too young to change the world but quite sufficient to make some difference. Working for a cause feels like a great perk and tempts people to stick with their goals. There are many exciting opportunities to pick from.
Do something for a better environment: You can make your resolution for a greener and more sustainable environment by cutting out the single plastic use, recycling your old stuff, driving less and spending more money on sustainable living.
Volunteer locally: There are several local communities and NGOs that take care of orphans, old age people and poor kids, and often require more people to volunteer. You can join their hands and spend some time with the people out there and support their communities.
Help the strays: Not only humans, but animals too need caring. You can provide shelter, food and care to stray animals or join your local communities that help the strays. There are several local communities and NGOs that require volunteers and funds to run their organizations, you can join them or give them some funds to support. Also, several NGOs allow people to visit and spend some time with the animals, where you can always take a tour and enjoy your day.
Remember, a new year’s resolution is not only about showing off or posting on social media to brag among your friends, it is for your self-improvement and growth. Doesn’t matter if your new year’s resolution is as small as walking 1k extra steps a day or as big as buying a luxury car, it should always be about yourself. And it is completely alright if you fail, you can start it again from the scratch or at least reward yourself for trying. Do not stop working on your goals, if not this year, maybe next year you can achieve them.
