How to Achieve Your New Year’s Resolutions

We’re a few weeks into the new year and it’s make-it-or-break-it time when we either uphold our New Year’s resolutions or fall back into old habits. Creating change in our lives is hard, but there are a few tried and true productivity hacks that actually work.

Make the Time to Make a Plan:

It’s 10 times harder to lose weight if you’re not exactly sure when you’re going to the gym. Before you know it, a whole week goes by and you still haven’t even put on your workout clothes. First, make the time to sit down and create a gym schedule. Next, make the time to actually follow through with your plan! The first step in creating change in our lives is to make the time to make a plan which, believe it or not, is where most of us fail. Instead of aimlessly reaching for goals, you have a default plan in place which allows your mind to go on auto-pilot so you don’t have to think so much.

Complete 3 Small Steps Every Day Toward Achieving Your Goal:

As the saying goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” so don’t expect to achieve your goals right away. It is amazing how much we can accomplish in a year if we take small steps every day. It can be as simple as sending one email, updating one section of your website, or even simply saving the gym schedule to your desktop. Completing these small steps will create a sense of achievement which is addicting. Instead of putting so much pressure on yourself, you’ll actually be excited to work on your resolution each day.

Pro tip: Arrive to work 15 minutes early to outline your three small steps for the day. This is making the time to make a plan!

Fail:

If you achieve your New Year’s resolution without failing, your resolution probably wasn’t big enough. Dream big, ladies! Failing is a sign that you are making changes, creating a shift in your life, and actually going for it. We are human. We make mistakes. It’s normal! However, this doesn’t mean it’s time to give up. Maybe you went a week without completing 3 small steps each day. Don’t stress about it. Start over and try again. Don’t wait for the next New Year to take another stab at your resolution. It sounds cheesy, but every day provides a fresh start. It can be a random Tuesday at 3 pm when, all of a sudden, your resolution clicks and you achieve the goals you’ve been dreaming of. You can do this.

What productivity hacks have helped you achieve New Year’s resolutions in past years? Share your tips in the comments section below!

By Samantha Cooper: Samantha Cooper is director of operations at Curly Girls Showroom!