The new year is identical to new resolutions. Everyone has different expectations, but all those expectations aspire to a better life. Even so, the phenomenon that often happens is that most people are just eager to make and achieve their resolution at the beginning. Gradually, people will become slack, even forgetting the resolution.Studies show that humans tend to be less able to hold on to a resolution and forget it within a month. A Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania professor, stated, "the issue is not the resolutions themselves; it's the way we approach them." According to Professor Katy Milkman, the problem lies not in the resolution but rather in our approach to the resolution.
In the previous article, "Is It Important to Have New Year's Resolutions?" one can conclude that resolutions are important. How do we make good New Year's resolutions, and how can we achieve them? How do we reach that resolution to not just be a "failed resolution" like in previous years? Many factors can cause a person's resolution to be elusive. The most straightforward reason is that the resolution is not the right one. The three main factors that make the resolution unachievable are:
• Resolutions made based on the words of others or the environment that tells us to change
• It's not clear enough
• Have no realistic plans to reach the resolution
But don't worry, Mutual+ will help you to make and achieve this new year's resolution. The Journal Management Review in 1981 created a SMART—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound acronym. According to the NY Times, one can apply SMART acronyms to make new year's resolutions.
Specific About What Your Resolution Is and How to Achieve It
The first step is to make the resolution as straightforward as possible. Instead of simply writing "want to lose weight," it is better to write in detail how much you want to lose and the time interval. A detailed resolution will help a person plan to achieve it. When planning, ask yourself about when, where, how, and how to make planning even more specific. A psychologist from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said, "Our goals may set the tone and motivate us to create habits, but it's actually engaging in daily, context-specific behaviors that creates a habit."
Ensure a Measurable Resolution
If a person's resolution is to lose weight, it is easy to measure and determine their success through weight numbers. However, it does not mean that one's resolution cannot be measured out of that category. It is essential to determine how to determine the success of a resolution, and it should be certain that the criteria used can be measured. It can be done so that one can know the progress and whether they are on the right path to achieving the goal. One way to observe and measure resolution is to write a journal or make notes on a cell phone. By journaling, we can record daily behavior to strengthen our progress, whatever the resolution is.
Set a Reachable Resolution
One must have an achievable resolution, but one can still have a big, stretched dream. One must realize that taking too big a step too fast can cause frustration. Let's not allow our resolution to take over our lives until our surroundings are abandoned. Many resolutions fail because of a person's excessive steps in the early stages, such as an extreme diet to lose weight. A resolution can succeed depending on the focus, energy, time, and motivation. It's not about the smallness or magnitude of a resolution but about ourselves being the determinant.
Is Our Resolution Relevant?
When making a resolution, ask yourself if the resolution is important and what our value is. A psychiatrist and author of a book, Dr. Michael Bennett, says, "If you do it out of the sense of self-hate or remorse or strong passion at that moment, it doesn't necessarily last long." For example, if a person makes a resolution wanting to be thin because he hates himself, then that resolution won't last long. On the other hand, if one thinks harder about what's good for him, changes the structure of life, and surrounds oneself with the person who's going to support the resolution, then there's a great chance that one can achieve it. For example, someone who has the resolution to maintain weight because he wants to live a healthier life.
Realistic With a Set Timeframe
The time frame or timeline to reach the resolution must also be realistic. A habit formed over many years will be difficult to change in days, weeks, or months. Give yourself enough time to change it and make mini-goals along the way. Denise Rousseau, Heinz University professor of organizational behavior and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University, said that the secret recipe for goal-setting was to break it down into task strategies and sub-goals. Rousseau added, "You're less likely to blow it off because it starts to feel too big a deal, too hard to do, too hard to fit in my life." By focusing on mini-goals, changes will take place gradually. Charless Duhigg, the author of The Power of Habit and former author of The New York Times, said, "If you're building a habitat, you're planning for the next decade, not the next couple of months."
Source:
https://www.nytimes.com/guides/smarterliving/resolution-ideas
https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-keep-your-new-years-resolutions-2795719
https://www.vox.com/even-better/23486112/attainable-new-years-resolution-goals-life-change