You know the drill: you make a resolution on January 1st, only to have broken it before the first month—or even week—passes.
Truth is, it takes 21 days to make a habit, and 66 days for it to become automatic. Need some help to stay motivated until your resolutions become second nature?
Follow these five steps to stick with your resolutions until they become habits.Don’t Make Drastic Changes All At Once
Taking baby steps is key to making sure that you keep your motivation when trying to stick with your resolutions. If your goal is to start running more, you shouldn’t expect to be able to run a marathon your first day. Set reasonable goals so you don’t wear yourself out or become discouraged and quit before you set your habits. The goals can be as simple as doing a quick workout before you shower in the mornings you can’t get to the gym or saying one nice thing about yourself every time you look in the mirror.
Keep Physical Reminders Around
Write out your resolution on sticky notes and put them in places where you’ll see them every day. Try putting one next to your bed, one on your bathroom mirror and one in your wallet. Then, strategically place reminders in places that have to do with your resolution. If your resolution is to snack less, put one on the fridge or if you want to watch less TV, put one one right on the screen. It will force you to move it if you want some tube time, which in turn will make you think twice about whether you really want to have a Bravo binge or not.
Work Your Resolution Into Your Routine
By fitting your resolution into your daily schedule, you’ll be able to stick to it more easily and resist the urge to quit. For example, if you’re resolving to drink more water, set up daily “water breaks” in your day and carry a water bottle wherever you go. If you want to be more active, try going for a walk as soon as you get home from work or school. Soon enough, you will begin to accept your new routine, and actually miss it if you skip.
Download An App
If you constantly have your phone with you, why not use it to help you stick with your resolutions? U.S. News & World Report found some of the best apps to help you keep your resolutions. There are tons of apps out there to help you with everything from following a diet and exercise routine to managing your money to following through on other everyday goals. Search around for an app that’s easy to use and sends reminders directly to your phone so you’ll be sure to follow through.
Reward Yourself
Resolutions are about achieving a big goal, but set smaller benchmark goals for yourself and reward yourself for achieving them along the way. The rewards can be anything that will help keep you motivated. If you want to try to stop biting your nails, reward yourself with a pretty manicure after two weeks with no bites. Or if you want to stop drinking so much Starbucks, buy yourself something nice with all of the money you save after going a month with no store-bought lattes. Be creative and find things that will encourage you to stick to your goals.
Feature Photo via We Heart It