Bond University habit change professor Dr Gina Cleo on keeping your New Year resolutions

Many of us set New Year Resolutions - and fail to maintain them. But there are things you can do to avoid that. Read the Bond University guide to keeping your promises.

The turn of a new year can be a time for reflecting on the one we’ve just had (and what a year that was!) and setting goals and resolutions for the year ahead.

According to research from Finder, around 72 per cent of Australians set New Year’s resolutions. The most common were around diet and exercise, achieving better work/life balance and boosting sleep.

That means around 14 million Australians aim to start their year with the best of intentions. Sadly, we also know around 92 per cent of New Year’s resolutions fail by the end of February.

So how do you become part of that eight per cent who see it through? Try these tips for rethinking your resolutions to increase your chances of success.

Fireworks on the Gold Coast waterfront.

THINK A LITTLE SMALLER

When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, it can be tempting to want a whole life overhaul – we want to lose weight, get fit, save more money, be better parents, better partners, better friends, travel more, start a new hobby, meditate, start a gratitude journal etc.

But research shows that the bigger the goals we set for ourselves, the less time we commit to that goal because we get overwhelmed. We also know that trying to work towards big goals or having too many goals, is not only harder to achieve, but harder to maintain when compared with setting smaller goals.

We can sometimes have this misconception that the beginning of the year turns over this new superpower of feeling motivated and being a better version of ourselves, but motivation isn’t a magic fairy that arrives in January, so if your New Year’s resolutions don’t fit in with your lifestyle the way it is now, then they’re not likely to be sustained for very long.

Dr Gina Cleo is Assistant Professor of Habit Change in Bond University’s Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine.

FOCUS ON THE PROCESS, NOT THE OUTCOME

Focus on the actions that will help you become healthier, fitter, happier, not just the end result. Instead of committing to ‘I want to run five kilometres’, try committing to consistently running three days a week. If you consistently run three days a week, you will eventually reach the same goal of running five kilometres.

THE POWER OF THREE

Most people don’t know that our brains are only capable of making up to three changes at once. That’s why setting too many resolutions can see us falling off the wagon come the end of February. Any more than three changes can be overwhelming and when we feel overwhelmed, we become vulnerable to procrastinating and eventually give up all together. Try committing to just three small habit changes that you can enjoy and maintain, and you’ll be amazed at how much you can actually achieve.

STAY ACCOUNTABLE

Once you’ve selected the goals you want to achieve in the new year, having accountability and tracking your progress is key to achieving those goals. Simply sharing your goals with family and close friends and chatting about your progress with them, can help keep you motivated and on track. It can also be helpful to find an ‘accountability partner’ so you can keep each other honest and focused on achieving your goals.

Dr Gina Cleo is Assistant Professor of Habit Change in Bond University’s Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine.

Originally published as Bond University habit change professor Dr Gina Cleo on keeping your New Year resolutions