Resolutions: How to Keep the Momentum

By Shane Sauer

It’s the second week of the New Year and by this point many of us have already given up on our resolutions. If you’re one of those people, check out my last blog, make some changes to your resolution, and get started again. If you are still going, here are some ideas to help keep the momentum.

1. Keep a Log – This can be a complex as writing a journal article each day about your journey or as simple as putting a check mark on a calendar. As long as your choice doesn’t overwhelm you, record keeping can keep you motivated. Logs can help you to see the progress you’re making or can give you a means of competition. For example, if you’re trying to walk more, logging your steps can have you competing with yourself to get more each day and you can see how much you’ve already achieved.
    
2. Plan Ahead – As your resolution loses its initial shine and starts to fade into the routine of life it becomes very easy to let it slip aside because it’s not yet a habit. At the start of each day or week, plan a time to work on your resolution and put it in your calendar. Then identify what might get in your way and make a contingency plan if that happens. Imagine you’re trying to eat better, but Wednesday of this week doesn’t leave you time to cook. Could you plan to make more on Tuesday so you have leftovers instead of stopping at McDonald’s on the way home?
    
3. Join a Team or Community – Many of us have trouble doing things for ourselves, but we can usually get motivated when we have a commitment shared with others.  This might just mean letting your friends and family know about your resolution so they can give you support. Joining a club or working with a professional will set you up with like-minded people. Environment plays a big part in the success of resolutions.
    
4. Quit Tomorrow – When the going gets tough, give yourself the freedom to quit tomorrow. Chance are, when you make it through today’s challenge and have had some time to reflect, you’ll notice it wasn’t that bad.  You’ll have also learned something new about what it takes to keep going. Once you’ve slept on it, if you still think the resolution isn’t worth it, quit (and come up with a new one)

These are just a few ideas to help keep yourself going. Remember habit change is HARD! It takes work and you probably won’t succeed if you don’t really care about it. By applying these suggestions or coming up with others, you’re giving yourself reasons to keep going or removing the reasons to stop.