Did you know there’s only a 50% likelihood that your 2016 resolution will make it to February 1st?
Yes, yes, we know what you’re thinking… That’s only for the quitters.
While you are correct in your judgement, you’ll need to do a little prep work to make sure your resolution turns into a sustainable habit. Like Simone Biles landing a perfect double layout with a half twist, here are a few pointers to make sure those 2016 goals STICK:
- Aim for the Attainable: Shooting for the moon sounds nice, but if you set a goal that is too lofty, you might peter out before you hit the atmosphere. Set an expectation to raise the quality of a habit that you want to improve, and over time you’ll end up reaching that lofty goal.
- Plan it Out: If you have a long term goal, the best way to achieve it is to break it down into bite-sized chunks you can achieve over time. These small monthly or weekly successes will keep you focused and the momentum strong.
- Reward Yourself: Once you slam dunk those smaller chunks, give yourself a reward to celebrate. Worked out three days this week? Go get your nails done. Got up with your alarm “pre-snooze fest” two out of five days? Grab a Venti for the road. You get the idea.
- Ditch the Bathwater, Keep the Baby: Sometimes our plans just don’t work the way we wanted them to. Circumstances change and we need to learn to be flexible. If your goal-reaching strategy loses steam, don’t trash the goal. Sit down with some paper and map out a new strategy that WORKS for YOU.
- Track Your Progress: Struggling to find the forest through the mass of trees surrounding you? Make a simple chart, place it in a highly visible location, and update your progress daily, or weekly. When you have a discouraging day, look back at the chart to remind yourself about how far you have truly come.
At Caledon Virtual, we ADORE goal setting. Here are some personal and professional 2016 resolutions from our team:
- Increase efficiency without sacrificing quality
- Give back to the community
- Reducing the post-workday “Netflix and Chill”
- Taking risks
- Increase punctuality, reliability, and consistency
- Balancing “nose to the grindstone” with creative breaks for coloring and Play-Doh®
- Drink more coffee
- Eat healthier
- Get more rest
- Stress less and hit obstacles “head-on”
- Learn something new everyday
- Drink more coffee
- Improve processes
- More team-bonding
- Exercise consistently
- Eat lunch
- Learn from mistakes
- Oh yeah, and drink more coffee
What about you and your team? If you haven’t done it already, take some time this week to jot down some ideas, swap them around the office, and make 2016 the year that your resolutions stick.
Then, drink some coffee.
