You might have read our recent guide, 10 new year resolutions that could boost your financial wellbeing and if so, hopefully, they are going well.
If you haven’t read it yet, there’s still time!
Once you’re up to speed, you’ll need to think about the barriers you might face when trying to see your resolutions through.
Keep reading for a look at five sure-fire ways to stick to your resolutions in 2023.
1. Make a plan and write it down
It’s not enough to aim to exercise more, eat healthier, or pay off your debt. You need to think carefully about what you want to achieve, but also about how you will get there.
Once you have a tangible goal, produce your plan and be sure to write it down. Putting your plan on paper helps the brain to build the mental map you’ll need to reach the waypoints on the path to your final destination.
2. It’s great to think big, but start small
One of the biggest hurdles you’ll face when trying to achieve your new year resolution is becoming downhearted or beating yourself up over perceived failures.
To make it easier to avoid these setbacks you should think about starting small.
Achieving a series of small goals that you can build up over time is much better than setting a huge, and possibly unrealistic target (see point 3), and immediately failing. One small hiccup could be enough for you to lose heart and give up so help yourself out by making your goals manageable.
If you haven’t set your resolutions yet, bear this in mind. But remember too that the resolutions you already have in place can likely be broken down into baby steps to make them more achievable.
3. Be realistic to give yourself the best chance
Baby steps will help you to reach your goal but be absolutely sure your goal is attainable.
You’ll have an idea of your own fitness levels, reserves of willpower, and any time or financial constraints that might make your plan difficult to accomplish. Give yourself a chance by being realistic.
If you want to run more this year, aim for a 5k parkrun or even a 10k race. Enter it now to make yourself accountable. Setting yourself the challenge of completing a marathon might be pushing your fitness too far and setting yourself up to fail.
Equally, if you want to travel more this year, use the planning stage to consider your finances and choose destinations that are within reach.
It can take more than two months for a new activity to become a habit so bear your timescales in mind too. Big changes are unlikely to happen overnight, but with a realistic goal, they won’t need to.
4. Track your progress and congratulate yourself for small wins
Tracking your progress is a great way to stay motivated, giving you plenty of little wins to celebrate throughout the year.
How you choose to track the milestones you reach will depend on what best motivates you. Keeping a diary or journal might help. As with writing down your plan, seeing your progress on paper helps your brain to tell itself the right story, fitting your achievements into a narrative that ends with your ultimate goal.
You might find that tangible goals work better for you so track your running progress by attaining greater distances or quicker times.
Find the way that works best for you and remember to celebrate the progress you are making.
5. Accept there will be setbacks but stay focused on your goal
Whatever goal you set yourself, you’re likely to encounter setbacks along the way. Accepting that they will occur, maybe even factoring them into your plan, will help you to approach them with a positive mindset.
Setbacks are a part of the journey but each one you overcome makes you stronger, empowering you to reach your goal.
If you have a bad day, try not to dwell on it. Forming new habits and making life changes isn’t easy but the key is to remain positive.
When obstacles appear, overcome them. You can then take pride in how you dealt with the setback and focus on what you have achieved so far and will go on to achieve in the future.
Get in touch
If you would like help to achieve your financial resolutions this year, or you have any questions about your long-term plans, speak to us now. Get in touch by emailing hello@fingerprintfp.co.uk or calling 03452 100 100.
