I suppose the reason we keep making New Year’s resolutions is that hope springs eternal in the human heart. It’s almost as traditional to break New Year’s resolutions as it is to make them! In the interests of breaking with this tradition of non-compliance, here’s some unusual ways of tricking yourself into keeping those promises you make.
The most important tip is planning ahead. And no, it’s not too late to redo your list, even if we are past the ‘due date.’ Give your resolutions some thought. What do you really want to do differently this year? After you’ve made your usual list, -you know, the one you’re looking at ruefully right now – cross off the ones you only wrote down because you thought you should. If your heart’s not in it, you won’t keep them anyway, so why set yourself up to fail? Keep only the ones you really would like to do.
Take your wall calendar or appointment book or Blackberry and look ahead at 2007. Pick days and schedule in specific examples of some of these resolutions. Did you promise yourself that this year you would spend more time with the kids? Then write/type in ‘take the kids to a museum’ on a convenient day in February. Is taking up painting a wish of yours? Then mark down ‘Paint a picture’ on three different days in March.
Mark down whatever strikes your fancy, just so that you pick a real day and mark down a specific activity.
Check your calendar to see if you need to do any advance preparations. Mark these down too. For example: ‘Call museum for schedule’ on a day next week. Or ‘Buy paint supplies’ two weeks before your first scheduled painting. If you really want to get in the spirit of things, write in related activities too. Make an appointment with yourself to read a book about the museum exhibit or about oil painting before you start.
Or adapt a Japanese custom for your resolutions. Make a ‘Wish Tree.’ Plant a pretty branch in a pot in your living room. Write each New Year’s resolution down on a different slip of colored paper. Roll each one up and tie to a branch on the tree with colored ribbon. Decorate the tree by tying flowers and ribbons to empty branches – anything to make it attractive enough to remain all year long.
Each week untie one wish from the tree at random. Read it carefully, and spend that week focusing on that one resolution. You’ll be surprised at how many new habits you can develop if your energy is devoted to just one focus at a time. Concentrate on accomplishing just that one change. You can make real progress in a short time, and feel encouraged enough to maintain the changes throughout the year.
Nobody has the willpower to change all their habits overnight. Build your New Year’s resolutions into the whole year, and allow yourself time to enjoy each desired change. Be sure the changes are ones that improve your life, and make it more enjoyable. You may find it’s more fun to keep your resolutions than to break them!