If you want to achieve your New Year resolution this time, start planning right away

With New Year's almost a month away, we're all in that mindset of reflecting and thinking about our New Year resolutions for the year 2024. But, what's more important is that whether we manage to follow through and stick to those resolutions we make.

If you're among the many who have set New Year's resolutions, both for work and personal goals, and you're brimming with optimism and good intentions for the upcoming year, you're not alone. However, maintaining New Year's resolutions can be challenging.

Here's a guide on how you can integrate and adopt your resolutions for 2024 ahead of time, allowing you to get into the mindset a month before the official start of the new year.

Tips on how to keep your New Year resolutions

1. Choose specific and realistic goals 

• You'd want to focus on a certain number of specific goals, could be three or four goals.

• Instead of having a high number of ambiguous goals, it's best to narrow down and select specific achievable goals, whether they include following a healthy diet, eating more vegetables, reading more books, or travel related desires etc.

• Focusing on a few key resolutions rather than spreading yourself too thin. Prioritising will increase your chances of success.

• Ensure that your resolutions are achievable and realistic. Setting overly ambitious goals may lead to frustration and a higher likelihood of giving up.

2. Plan your resolution

• Cultivating any kind of healthy habit takes time, so rather than thinking that you'd kickstart and implement your New Year resolutions from January 1, you can start imbibing and practicing those habits a few weeks in advance, so that you don't procrastinate either.

• Divide your resolution into smaller, more manageable tasks. This makes it easier to track your progress and celebrate small victories along the way.

• Develop a detailed plan outlining how you will achieve your resolution. Having a step-by-step approach makes the process more manageable.

3. Track your progress and stay flexible

• One of the best ways to solidify and make sure that you stick to your resolutions in the New Year is by starting to implement them a month in advance so that you can get in that zone.

• You can do so by tracking your progress, keep a record of your achievements. Regularly review your progress to stay motivated and make adjustments if necessary.

• Life is unpredictable, and setbacks can occur. Be flexible and willing to adapt your plan as needed. Don't be too hard on yourself if things don't go exactly as planned.

4. Seek support and celebrate milestones

• Share your resolutions with friends or family who can provide encouragement and hold you accountable. Consider joining groups or forums with people who share similar goals. And you can start with this process weeks in advance.

• You should acknowledge and celebrate your achievements along the way. Recognizing progress, no matter how small, reinforces positive behaviour.

• And if you've already started to integrate your resolutions before New Year, you can identify any potentials set-backs you'll face next year beforehand itself.

• If you encounter setbacks, view them as learning opportunities. Identify the reasons for the setback and adjust your plan accordingly for it to execute smoothly in the new year.

Integrate your resolutions into your daily routine. Creating habits around your goals increases the likelihood of long-term success.