It turns out that most of us are willing to disregard our plans and promises, which we so confidently made by the New Year’s tree. A glass of champagne boosts our confidence in our ability to achieve something meaningful, like saving more, spending less, eating healthier, or exercising more.
However, as Janina Steinmetz, a marketing professor at the Bayes Business School at City, University of London, points out, grand plans often dissipate within the first few weeks after the holiday.
But we’ve declared our good intentions to friends and family. So, do we really have to admit defeat now? According to Professor Steinmetz, the first step is to understand the reasons behind our unfulfilled promises. This understanding can help us follow through in the future.
Steps to Achieve Plans We Almost Forgot
The expert suggests that you can start by reminding those who witnessed your holiday promises about your plans in a way that makes your setbacks clearer to both them and yourself, providing motivation to move forward.
Fulfilling promises often requires time and money, as noted by Science Alert. For instance, getting in shape takes time for and money for a gym membership. A lack of funds is perceived as a reality that’s hard to control. Therefore, if this is the reason for failure, it’s clear that the individual may not have resolved the issue.
A lack of time, on the other hand, is a different story. Unlike a shortage of money, time can be managed productively. In the future, it’s essential to allocate time more carefully.
“Analyze your schedule and make conscious decisions about how to allocate time to achieve your goals, such as planning gym sessions or setting aside time to prepare healthy meals. This will help motivate new attempts, and you won’t fall victim to a hectic schedule,” explained Professor Steinmetz.
Last year, her team conducted research on how a lack of time leads to failure. The researchers concluded that people can regain control over their time by focusing not on its absence but on actively seeking it out (“allocating time”).
As a result, study participants felt they could move mountains in the future. This is because the phrase “allocate time” implies control over one’s schedule. Conversely, when someone says they didn’t have time, it creates a sense that their schedule was beyond their control, and this issue will continue to hinder their goal achievement.
Make Room for Joy in Your Plans
Another reason many people struggle to stick to their New Year’s resolutions is that they tend to be overly ambitious or overlook the fact that and pleasure support us in our pursuit of goals.
In other words, it’s not enough to have a goal. It’s also important to enjoy the process and believe in your ability to achieve something significant, especially what you planned at the New Year’s table.
Without an element of joy and fun, it’s challenging to see things through to the end, even if you really want to. “So, try to come up with ways to make achieving your goals more enjoyable, and remind yourself that you are capable of doing it,” advised the expert.
While forming healthy habits right after a wild night of and overeating may seem paradoxical, research shows that such a “fresh start” can be quite productive. And the first page of a freshly printed calendar is a great beginning for realizing dreams.
Photo: pexels.com
