Do you struggle with routines and rigidity? Here are six things to help you prepare for and make practical new-year goals and achieve them.

Posted by Overthinking Aquarian on December 15, 2021 in attainable goals, goals vs. resolutions, goalsetting, growth mindset, new year 2022, new year goals, new year new start, new year resolutions,

Doesn't it feel like 2020 and 2021 got clubbed together and it felt like an insanely loooong year! Aren't you glad, 2022 is just a fortnight away!

One thing that many people, including me, tend to do is expect to have a clean start from the new year. In the euphoria of ringing the new year, we try to come up with new year resolutions. But 80% of the time, these may not last longer than few weeks.

Here's the thing! Things won't magically change just because you are starting with a new page in a brand new calendar. Fitness, diet, Daily routines etc., are the most common new year resolutions one can make. Because in theory, these can be easy goals to attain, but practically and in reality, if you are someone who has struggled with these things before, then probability is that just making a new year resolution will not help. 

"Make Goals, Not Resolutions"

Resolutions are like blind dates, you might not have thought it through, you don't know what you are dealing with. It may or may not click. 

Goals on the other hand are clearly defined objectives that you have thought through and are open to make changes as you go.

I personally struggle a lot with fixed routines. I thrive on flexibility and having rigid goals tends to weigh me down. Instead I have a loose plan with a to-do list and try to strike off as many as I can for the day. 

So if you are someone like me, wanting to have a clean start for the new year, but struggle with resolutions and routines, here are few things we can do.

• Brighten your physical space:
• Declutter and organize your immediate surroundings as per your needs. Having an organized and clean space definitely helps minimize distractions. 

• Lighten your mental load:
• Declutter and leave behind any heavy unwanted emotional baggage from your head. You know it is unwanted, you know it is not worth it. So leave them behind and move forward with only the ones that you really need to work on. 

• Know what works for you:
• Keep expectations practical and do-able. For a goal to be attainable, you need to have a plan - split your goal into tasks and create check-lists to achieve them. Write them down. You don't need fancy planners, just your phone, tablet or computer would do. I personally use google apps (calendar, to-do list, planner etc.,) and have everything synced up on my phone for easy access. 

• What is the nature of your goal?: Understanding the nature of your goal can help you further in knowing what works for you and setting your own expectations regarding time-lines. 
• A lifestyle change like exercise, good diet, self-care type of a goal - These type of goals are not something you want to do for one year and then leave. You are in it for the long term.
• Career/job change or self building type of a goal - These type of goals are achieved once the result is obtained. But these also tend to have time-lines and can involve a lot of external factors.
• Skill building: If you are looking to learn some-thing new or build a skill - key is to set time apart for it and be consistent. 
• Reviving old/picking up new hobbies: Something on the easier side, a form of self-care this is something everyone should try to do as ideally, this type of goal should be free of any stress/pressure.

• The little things matter:
• Focus on the little things that lead you to your goal. Usually, goals are the final result of what we want to achieve and this is what we tend to focus on a lot. But it is more important to focus the little things we need to do that will lead us to our goal.

(For example, if my goal is to wake up early every day, I first need to sleep early the night before and for that, I need to wrap up my day/chores the night before. I cannot expect to wake up at 6 AM, when I have not slept until past midnight.)

• Don't be afraid to reset and restart: It is not easy for everyone to be consistent and work towards these goals every single day. If you falter or stop in between, do not quit. Pause, reset if you need to, but don't be afraid to restart again. You are not in a race with anybody. 

Lastly, Don't spend the last few days of 2021 as the 'end' of something. Rather, treat the last few days as a head-start to a NEW year, new start. Make preparations for any changes you want to make.  

I want to reiterate that it doesn't matter if you want to start on January 1st or February 28th.  The above five tips can help you start fresh any time of the year. If you really want to turn a new leaf, why wait for the new year, when you can have a fresh new start tomorrow?