New Year’s resolutions are hard to keep throughout the year. People frequently dismiss their New Year’s resolutions by the time February rolls around, which leaves only eight percent of people who follow through with their resolutions, according to UAB medicine. Here is a tip to follow through on your resolutions.

Create SMART goals

   A common mistake that people make is to set unrealistic or unachievable goals for themselves. They could have made their resolution too vague or too aggressive, which prevents them from the completion of their resolution. The acronym “SMART” is a great way to evaluate your resolutions to make sure they are not too unclear or unrealistic. SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. 

   To make your goals specific you have to initiate a plan. According to UAB Medicine, micro-goals can help split your resolution into different pieces which makes it easier to attain.

   Also, the creation of a measurable resolution will allow you to track your progress on the completion of that goal. Someone could take a picture every day of their progress to make their goal measurable. Benjamin Harkin, the lead author of the Psychological Bulletin, states his beliefs on measurable goals.

  According to Science Daily, “Monitoring goal progress is a crucial process that comes into play between setting and attaining a goal, ensuring that the goals are translated into action,” Harkin said. “This review suggests that prompting progress monitoring improves behavioral performance and the likelihood of attaining one’s goals.”

   The attainability of a resolution connects back to mico-goals. People can have a large overarching resolution but to make it attainable they could add micro-goals. However, you have to check that your resolution is relevant in order to complete those micro-goals.

   The relevance of your goals checks the importance of their completion and their intentions. If you have the wrong intentions for your resolution, your overall outlook on the resolution is negative.

   According to the New York Times, “If you do it out of the sense of self-hate or remorse or a strong passion in that moment, it doesn’t usually last long,” Michael Bennet, a psychiatrist that created two books based on self-help said.“But if you build up a process where you’re thinking harder about what’s good for you, you’re changing the structure of your life, you’re bringing people into your life who will reinforce that resolution, then I think you have a fighting chance.” 

   Furthermore, time-bound goals make the resolution more achievable. Create a timeline for your goal and leave plenty of time to complete each micro-goal. People often leave too little time for their resolution which results in abandonment. A former writer for the New York Times and author of “The Power of Habit” provides insight.

   According to the New York Times, “Focus on these small wins so you can make gradual progress,” Charles Duhigg said. “If you’re building a habit, you’re planning for the next decade, not the next couple of months.”

   Resolutions are no easy feat to complete but hopefully with this tip you can make your 2023 resolutions stick.