First we patiently wait for Christmas holidays. Unfortunately they always pass quickly. Then we prepare for New Year’s Eve and finally it’s there… the New Year. And with it New Year’s resolutions come at us from every side. After all a new year equals a new you.
However experience tells us how this will go – not many make it with their resolutions to the end of January.
Most often with the year ending and being aware of the passing of time, we decide on resolutions that require too much from us. As a result, our resolution remains a dream. That is why we will offer you two simple ways to start consistently achieving your goals in the new year.
Small steps bring great results
You might have heard that somewhere before. We did as well. But what does that mean in practice? How do we make out these small steps? Well, let’s say you decided to read 12 books in 2019, one per month. With a lot of responsibilities on your hands, this may seem like a lot. But when you divide it into small steps, it will be more attainable. So instead decide to read every day for 20 minutes. You may find that you can read even more books this year than you previously anticipated.
If you’re planning to take on a new habit in 2019, it’s a good idea to reserve (at least in the beginning) a small amount of time for it, so that you won’t have a problem finding that time every day to do a new thing, like 10-20 minutes. Looking at the whole day, that’s not a lot, but enough to spend that time on something productive. What that is going to be is entirely up to you – reading books, going on walks or maybe learning a new language? Of course, in the future you can extend that amount of time to suit your schedule and needs.
Weekly challenges
New Year’s resolutions are often a plan for the whole year or even life. Trying to commit for the long term can be setting yourself up for failure. Changes are easier to make not only one step at a time but also for a short time. That is why it’s a good idea to plan weekly challenges. You want to do yoga every day? Great. Decide to practice yoga every day for 20 minutes in the next week.
If you’re learning a language (i.e. Spanish) you can plan a month of challenges. In the first week learn five new word every day. In the second week read the news in Spanish. In the third week translate one Spanish song a day. And in the fourth week listen to Spanish podcasts for 15 minutes a day.
Will you use our ideas?
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This post is also available in: Polish