Whether you love or hate the idea of New Year’s resolutions, we know that you have goals that you would like to achieve in 2022, and the new year is a wonderful time to start fresh. However, it can be incredibly difficult to just jump right into a new way of doing things, especially after you spend a couple of weeks lavishing in the holidays. We want to help! Read on for four simple tips that might help you make those resolutions last past the second week in January.
1. Set attainable goals
Setting clear goals that you actually can achieve with hard work is the key. If you’re someone who loves the symbolism of the new year to make changes to your life, we want to suggest using the first month of the new year as the transitional period. Make one or two resolutions and use the month to figure out how to set them into motion and to achieve them over the course of the year. Attainable goals are a hallmark of the SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, recordable and time-based) method of setting and achieving goals.
2. Start small
We know that if you’ve spent time making your resolutions, the prospect of the new-and-improved-you can be exciting, but make sure you make realistic goals. If one of your goals is to start exercising, it may seem exciting to get to the gym on the first of January and crush an hour-long workout, but start small so that you don’t burn out. We promise you; you’ll feel way more accomplished after a week of easy workouts every day than after one big workout.
3. Be realistic (and specific!)
We know that the frenzy of the new year can give you a little bit of an unrealistic twinkle in your eye, and that’s fine! We want the best for you. However, that being said, you’re absolutely not going to go to sleep on Dec. 31 as one person and wake up on the First as a whole new person! There are a million ways one can improve their lives and expecting yourself to adopt all of them over the course of one month is just silly. Our suggestion is to pick the one resolution that you think may be able to lead you into the other resolutions gradually and start with that one. For example, say your three resolutions are to:
– Start getting up early
– Start journaling
– Start jogging
You may in this instance want to start with getting up early. That could eventually give you more time to start journaling and jogging later on! If your goal is to wake up at 5 a.m. instead of 6:30 a.m., for example, try waking up at 6:15 a.m. the first week, 6 a.m. the second week, and so on.
And remember, there are tradeoffs with each change you make in your life. To get up earlier, you may have to go to bed earlier and spend less time watching TV or spending time on social media.
4. Realize that it takes time to establish new habits
The biggest problem with New Year’s resolutions is that it takes longer than most people might think —many months — for a habit to stick and to become automatic. That’s right. Most people give up too early. Learn more about the art of establishing a new habit at this link. The great news is that once you establish a new habit, it can truly be life-changing.
At PMI Perimeter, we hope you had a wonderful winter holiday, and we wish you the happiest New Year! Here are some links to great local businesses that you might want to check out if they pertain to your New Year’s goals!
For some restoration, exercise, and mindfulness, try a yoga class! Here are some great choices.
To learn something new (and support local businesses), try one of these awesome local bookstores.
For learning about history, and spending time outdoors, Atlanta is a great place to explore the great outdoors.
