5 Tips To Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

Thousands of us make New Year’s resolutions every year but only 12 per cent of British people actually achieve the goals they set for themselves, according to a survey of more than 3,000 people. Here’s how you can stick to your resolution through January and beyond.

• Think simple but specific: many men fall in their resolutions because they set the bar too high and go after too many goals. Go simple and set the one objective that is most important to you. It should be challenging but achievable. Focusing all your energy on one resolution will increase your chances of success, whereas striving after too many ambitious goals at once is the quickest way to motivation meltdown.

• Forget last year’s failures: if you didn’t keep last year’s resolutions, then just doing the same again is likely to end in similar setbacks and frustration. Either set new goals or take a new approach on failed ones. Instead of wanting to lose a certain amount of weight, concentrate on going to the gym a set number of times per week.

• Focus on the positives: want to quit smoking? Instead of thinking of it as giving something up and dwelling on how much you’ll miss it, fix your thoughts on the numerous benefits of ditching the tabs: more cash, less time in the freezing cold and a far nicer aroma. The same positive thinking applies to the gym. Don’t go to gym just to punish yourself for being lazy, think about how much better you’ll look and feel after every session.

• Keep a diary: planning the steps you need to take to meet your goal, then keeping a diary to track your progress will increase the chances of success. You should also write down your goal on a piece of paper and stick it somewhere visible in your home or at work. When other people know your objective it can keep your motivation high.

• Have a plan B: there will be bumps along the resolution road, so it helps to know in advance how you’ll deal with them. A quick drink after work can quickly spiral into several and a post-closing time Kebab, so accepting that there will be the temptation to drink – and thinking about how you’ll feel in the morning- makes it easier to switch to the softer stuff after a sociable but solitary pint.