Do you have a whole list of resolutions every year that you ‘must’ accomplish? Unfortunately, this list usually runs aground after a week. Here are a few tips to keep your resolutions.

1. Be realistic

Set realistic goals. You simply can’t quit smoking and lose weight and work on yourself and see your friends more and exercise more and be less stressed… And all that in January. We get tired just looking at this list. Nobody can keep this up. You have 12 months to accomplish your resolutions: Rome wasn’t built in one day! So focus on 1 or 2 goals, one step at a time.

2. Be kind to yourself

Yes, you will probably light up a cigarette during your first week of quitting smoking, eat some chunks of chocolate during your first week of losing weight and skip the gym once in a while. But don’t sit around feeling guilty. Just continue afterwards. Habits are hard to break and feeling guilty certainly isn’t going to make it any easier.

3. Make a step-by-step plan

We already mentioned it at number 1: you have twelve months. If you think “I want to lose ten kilos” then you make a plan for that. For example, aim to lose 1 kilo by the end of January. That is more achievable and it is not such a chaos in your head. Keep it simple.

4. Keep track of results

Keep track of the results, sometimes you underestimate yourself. But there will be times you must not think yourself rich yet. So keep track of how long you have not smoked, how many kilos you have lost and what you did at the gym. Measuring is knowing!

5. Reward yourself

And finally: working towards a goal works better and makes you more motivated. Reward yourself with something you want, a weekend away or a bar of your favorite chocolate. And for the rest: keep up the good work!