The ball has just dropped in New York City, confetti is flying around the room, and glasses are being toasted. It’s the New Year and it’s a new me. This year I vow to become healthier, travel to Europe and Asia, get the job promotion, and get that puppy. Do any of those resolutions sound familiar to you?
If you’re like the 38.5% of US adults who set New Year’s resolutions each year, then, you may see the new year as an opportunity to create and set new goals (Inside Out Mastery, 2022). A time to review last year’s progress and decide on new intentions for this upcoming year.
Of these individuals, 23% quit within the first week and only 9% successfully achieve their New Year’s resolutions (de Boer, 2022).
We make New Year’s resolutions with the intention of achieving new goals but why is it that only 9% of people achieve their goals?
Whether it’s a lack of planning, organizing, or initiating tasks, our executive functioning skills play a large role in our ability to create and set goals.
That’s why we’re sharing the most common reasons why New Years Resolutions fail and how you can achieve more this year.
Overcommitting
Do you catch yourself saying yes more often than you say no? Do you notice your schedule becoming overbooked and finding little time to yourself?
It’s easy to overcommit to different people and fill up your schedule. Avoid this by improving your time management skills using time blocking.
Time blocking is a time management technique in which you split your day into different blocks of time. Each block is dedicated to completing a specific task or set of tasks (DeMers, 2022).
Time blocking can further be broken down into different variations which include:
- Task batching: Completing a group of similar tasks.
- Day theming: Completing tasks based on a “theme of the day”.
- Timeboxing: Completing a specific task within a set period of time.
Time blocking is effective at helping you achieve goals by recognizing the task, making a plan, organizing a time to complete it, and getting yourself in motion to initiate the task.
Below are samples of how you can time block using the different variations mentioned above.
Setting Unrealistic Goals
A lot of times we set goals however we don’t actually have a plan for achieving them.. We have no idea how we will start, maintain the habits we created, and measure the progress. This, in turn, results in an unrealistic goal that is bound to fail.
In order to develop and follow through with our resolutions we have to create goals that are Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time bound. In other words, we need to create SMART goals.
What does it mean for a goal to be SMART?
- Specific: Is my goal specifically listing what needs to be accomplished?
- Measurable: Can I track progress with measurable outcomes?
- Achievable: Is my outcome realistic and can actually be attained?
- Relevant: What is the purpose or reason to why I am setting this goal?
- Time-bound: When do I plan to achieve this goal? (Boogaard, 2022)
An example of a SMART goal would look like:
- I will lose 10 pounds within the next 6 months as observed by a decrease in weight on the scale. I’ll achieve this goal by eating 1-2 servings of vegetables with every meal, walking for 30 minutes 4 times per week, and lifting weights 3 times per week. At this rate, I expect to lose 1.66 pounds per month which is attainable and will improve my health.
For a deep dive into SMART goals, consider our email course, “Helping Your Teen Set SMART Goals.” It offers concrete, step-by-step resources delivered to your inbox to help you and your teen set and achieve big goals.
To start now, download our free. PDF SMART goal setting worksheet.
Not Having Enough Grace
After much reflection, maybe you realize last year you didn’t achieve the goals you wanted to. You wanted to save $5,000, get that promotion at work, and lose that extra baby weight from your pregnancy and didn’t achieve it.
As a result, you may be experiencing an array of emotions, ranging from frustration, anger, or disappointment.
But by being consumed by these negative emotions, where is the space for the positive?
Where can we allow gratitude and appreciation for what we did accomplish to come in?
We often tie our worth to our level of productivity and how much we accomplish. However, success is different for each person and we have to remember to live up to our own expectations.
Rather than feeling disappointment for not getting the promotion, take time to acknowledge what you accomplished this year at work that was challenging for you in the past.
Was it challenging for you to stay up to date on paperwork or perhaps review emails in a timely manner and this year, you were on top of it all? If so, then celebrate that!
Give thanks to all that you have completed, especially if they have been areas needing improvement over the last few years. I recommend creating a daily habit of writing gratitudes, listing exactly what it is you are grateful for. It can be things such as your health, support systems, or things that bring you joy.
After writing 2-3 things you are grateful for, now list 2-3 things that went right in your day. Whether it was getting through all those work emails you have been putting off, having a delicious frappuccino, or even going to the gym for a 30 minute workout, those are all things to celebrate because at that moment, they brought a sense of relief and even a bit of joy.
[insert image of a journal]
Understand that you are only human and can only do so much and that is perfectly ok. Have grace and self compassion for yourself. Reward yourself for the things you accomplish, and forgive yourself for those that still need more time and effort. Remember, you are doing a wonderful job.
Failure to Create a Goal-Achieving Environment
There’s a quote by Jim Rohn that states “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” What I believe the meaning behind his quote is that we are what we surround ourselves with, whether it’s people or places.
The work environment you are in influences the amount of stress placed on you. This can be through the interactions with peers, relationship with your boss, and the actual job demands.
The friends you choose to have in your life influence your overall well-being. They play a big role in providing support during good and bad times through encouragement and guidance. They help shape who you are whether it’s the activities you engage in, places you visit, or experiences you have.
This in turn can be reflected in how you see yourself and believe in your capabilities. It is important to create a positive environment as much as possible.
You do not have full control of every aspect or interaction in your life, however, you can choose where you work, who are the friends within your inner circle, and what levels of support you set up for yourself.
Choose to work in environments that bring the just right level of stress. It won’t be stress free, however, should still present challenges to promote growth.
Choose to have supportive and kind friends. Surround yourself around people who are going to celebrate your accomplishments but also love and encourage you when things go wrong.
Choose to create a positive environment where you feel you can not only survive, but thrive.
Final Thoughts
This upcoming year is yours for the taking. Whatever aspirations and goals you have can be achieved if you believe you are capable and can succeed.
Be sure to remember to:
- Avoid overcommitment and only do what you can realistically handle.
- Create SMART realistic goals.
- Have grace with yourself when things don’t go right.
- Live and work in positive environments.
Further Reading
- Life Hack – How to Use Time Blocking for Productivity: 18 Practical Ways
- Life Skills Advocate Blog – What is Executive Functioning?
- Life Skills Advocate Blog – How to Use SMART Goal Setting to Teach Daily Living Skills
- Life Skills Advocate Blog – How To Find The Right Career Fit When You Have ADHD
- Work Life By Atlassian – How to write SMART goals.
- Inside Out Mastery – 19 Mind-Blowing New Year’s Resolution Statistics