So 2020 may not have been the best year for you and perhaps you didn’t manage to tick anything off your list of New Year’s resolutions. But would you believe me if I told you it didn’t matter?
Okay, so here’s the deal. People tend to think of New Year’s resolutions as a sort of To-Do list. But a lot of the time, New Year’s resolutions aren’t something you can just cross off in a matter of days, let alone months. So your plans to “travel more” were scrapped because of the pandemic, and “losing weight” was out of the question with all those McSpicy meals you treated yourself to during your work-from-home sessions.
Well, take a deep breath because everything is okay.
If you managed to accomplish some of your goals or even all of them, well done you! But if you’re like many others who didn’t quite get to accomplish everything you set out to do this year, this might help you make better resolutions for 2021.
Next year, start smaller.
The biggest mistake people make when planning out New Year resolutions is setting out unrealistic goals. It’s good to be ambitious, but remember that your goals need to be achievable within the time frame you set. A good way is to break up your goals into manageable chunks. If you plan Mount Kinabalu but have never climbed a mountain before, then start small. Hike up those staircases at your HDB block several times a week, then go up and down Bukit Timah hill until you’re sure your body can handle something more. There are some cases where a YOLO is not gonna cut it.
Don’t fret, maybe some goals aren’t important anymore.
Sometimes resolutions just stop making sense. Maybe you started the year gearing up for a promotion at work. But suddenly your company’s structure changed and you don’t really want it anymore. Or perhaps you wanted to lose weight, but decided you much rather just bulk up instead.
Okay listen here, friend. It’s okay to let some goals go.
Don’t think of it as you’re making an excuse or chickening out. Lemme put it this way – if you drive out in the morning for Nasi Lemak, but halfway through you start craving a McDonalds breakfast meal, are you going to just journey on to the Nasi Lemak stall anyway? Let it wait. Be brave and embrace the Sausage McMuffin, I’d say.
Just remember, you aren’t alone.
Just because New Year’s resolutions are something you make on your own, doesn’t mean you have to go at it all alone. Afterall, nothing says motivation better than having a friend next to you cheering you on while you do your 100th 10th sit up at the gym! Next year, share your goals with people close to you who you can rely on or maybe even consider joining support groups, and you’re sure to go much further than you thought you would otherwise. There’s always strength in numbers, afterall!
Less thinking, more doing.
It’s always good to plan out how to achieve your goals. But over-planning and mulling over things too much will not get you anywhere. You want to spend more time with your significant other, so you spend weeks planning out an elaborate staycation, complete with romantic dinner at an exclusive restaurant and specific activities you can do throughout the day. While that’s all well and good, all that time spent deciding what to do means less time actually spent with your loved one, since you were caught up with planning. Sometimes, doing less is indeed more.
Every bit counts so be remember to keep track.
Apart from breaking your goals into smaller, more manageable chunks, be sure to keep track of what you’ve accomplished along the way. If you’re planning to achieve fitness goals, make a list of all the steps you need to take, and then cross them off one by one. Apart from giving you that extra boost of motivation, it’ll also help you remember the all-important journey to success! If you need some help with keeping track of your goals, you could even make use of nifty apps like these!
Now that you know how to plan your New Year’s resolutions more effectively, why not kickstart your fitness goals with these exercises or just mull them over at a relaxing staycay?
