In the wake of the holidays and as you begin a new semester, you've seen the endless ads and marketing surrounding new year's resolutions. Companies inundate us with inspirational slogans such as, "New year, new me!", "Rise and grind!" "Manifest success, and it will come!" in hopes of convincing you to buy their products and programs. You've also probably experienced the disappointment and frustration that accompanies making lofty resolutions to transform your life and subsequently watching yourself "fail" to achieve your goals. Failing to stick to new year's resolutions is so common that it's a meme, and it can be a surefire way to start your new year feeling disgruntled and aimless. Rather than making traditional new year's resolutions, challenge yourself this year to make small, attainable, healthy goals you can pursue and achieve throughout the coming year.
The Case Against Traditional Resolutions
As a college student, you're probably very busy with your academic and social schedule, and you have lots of plans, goals, and drive to succeed in the new year. Perhaps you've already made some new year's resolutions—and perhaps you've already abandoned some. While making new year's resolutions is an old and time-honored custom, research indicates that 80% of people fail to keep or achieve their goals. Is it simply the case that most people cannot achieve their goals? Research indicates that the problem is more nuanced and may stem from the typical process of making new year's resolutions.
Too Vague
Most people make lofty and indefinite goals for the new year, and while setting large goals may feel great initially, they are usually difficult to keep up with and achieve. For example, consider making a resolution to get a gym membership and get in shape. However, if you leave your resolution and make no other plans to achieve your goal, you will likely find it difficult to succeed. This is because your resolution needs to be more specific to follow through. Not having a plan of action or specific behaviors to follow make it difficult to know where to start and how to keep going.
No Accountability
Regardless of how good it is, starting a new habit in a vacuum is much less likely to last. Imagine telling all of your friends that you plan to spend the evening studying and then abandoning your resolve to do something else. Hopefully, a few of your friends would comment or ask why you changed your mind. Your resolve would be even stronger if you'd made plans to study with some friends, as they would then expect you to show up as you had promised.
Negatively Framed
Starting the new year by feeling guilty about everything you didn't achieve last year is a good way to ensure that your new resolutions will fail. Making goals that are framed negatively can cause you to think about the thing you're trying to avoid rather than the goal you're trying to achieve. For example, suppose you resolve to "stop sleeping in." Ironically, now all you can focus on is sleeping in, and you find yourself hitting the snooze button day after day.
Making Achievable Goals
Rather than getting stuck in the spiral of overly vague, negative resolutions with no accountability structure to help you succeed, focus on these tips to make attainable and rewarding goals.
Specific Goals
Start by making a small, specific goal relevant to where you are in life. Be honest and start with a small goal that gives you room to grow. For example, maybe you want to get in shape but don't think you can commit to going to the gym every day. Instead, commit to walking to class daily and listening to a podcast. Or, join an intramurals team and play a sport you enjoy. This idea has the bonus of accountability and fun built in! Small, specific goals are much easier for us to commit to than lofty or overly generalized goals that will take all year to achieve. Help your brain see your progress by planning your goals to have small successes built in along the way.
Better with Friends
No matter what type of goal you set, involve the people around you to help you both be accountable and stay motivated. You and your roommate could plan to have a study hour every morning before class or the evening before bed. Study together in your room, go to a library or favorite study spot, put on your headphones if necessary, and learn together. Consider starting a 30-day challenge with a parent or sibling back home. Keep each other accountable through texts, video calls, and social media, and enjoy the extra time and connection wi th your loved one.
Stay Positive
Something as simple as changing the language that you use to talk or think about your goals can make a big difference in your ability to succeed. Rather than focusing on what you don't want to do, focus on what you're doing. For example, if you want to spend less time on social media and more time interacting with friends in person, make the goal about how you and your friends plan to connect, not about social media. This can help your brain focus on the behaviors you w ant to develop rather than the ones you want to limit.
Remember that new habits take time to develop, so don't despair if you don't see results immediately. If you find yourself failing, don't be afraid to revisit your goals and reevaluate their importance in your life. There's nothing wrong with changing your goals to better align with the person you currently are and hope to become. Keep these tips in mind to start your new year with strategies to help you achieve the goals you value and avoid getting bogged down in the stress and disappointment surrounding traditional new year's resolutions.
