Micro Goals & Big Resolutions

Jan. 05, 2018

Make your resolutions stick this year with a few easy simple steps and micro goals!

As we know, New Year's resolutions can be hard to keep. Each year I have tried to come up with a scaled-down version of the previous year, in the hope, that this year, I would finally crack it. Sadly I, like so many others, have had years of disappointment. Not necessarily because the goals were too hard, but because the goals didn’t work for me after a while. Once a goal is no longer a priority or isn’t appropriate, it’s hard to continue with it. That is why at the start of 2017 I made myself a different New Years resolution. Not a specific resolution, but a resolution for 2017 to be my best year yet.

Yes, that was it. A grand scale goal that would encompass the many smaller goals. The promise to myself that all those little things I do in my life would change for the better. By cutting out time-wasters, I could focus on the more important parts of my life: exercising at the gym, studying, and spending time with my friends and family.

One of my smaller resolutions was to stop procrastinating. I hate it! Especially when I finally realize I’ve been timewasting for an hour or more as a way to put off tasks where I could have spent that same time doing something productive. So, at the beginning of last year, I decided that when I notice myself spiralling into procrastination patterns, I will do 15 press ups and then carry on with what I was doing. Not only did this refocus my mind and help me remember to stay/get back on task, but it was something that I couldn’t really fail at. Now at the start of 2018, I’m able to say happily and proudly that I haven’t procrastinated for over two months, not that I have noticed anyway, and—side bonus—I’m able to do over 100 press ups without stopping due to my previous procrastination. A win-win!

This is just one example of how you can set yourself up to succeed this New Years. Another example would be to make a goal that is extremely doable. Again, at the start of 2017, I set myself the goal of getting to the gym three times a week, this isn’t a massive amount, nor is it an easy way out. I managed to get to the gym three days a week every week except for the two weeks I went on holiday. I allowed myself that slack. Don’t get me wrong; I wasn’t limiting myself to three days a week. When I was able, I went more often, but it meant that if a week was busy, I wasn’t kicking myself for only being able to go three times.

So, this 2018, I am making similar resolutions, not because I’m worried I won’t keep them, but because the goals I made at the start of 2017 have brought me such joy and success that I don’t want to change many of them. A final word of caution, however. Make sure you are patient, realistic, and not trying to make too many changes all at once. We are only human, we may forget, we may just run out of time, but most of all, once you slip up, it’s so easy to allow yourself to slip up again and again. As my dad says, “Think big, plan small.”