Hello lovelies! Today’s post is going to be about why I’m starting my New Year’s resolutions now instead of on January 1st and why you should too!

So why am I starting my new year’s resolutions now? It’s not even 2017 yet.

According to Psychology Today and other sources, new year’s resolutions fail because of several reasons:

1. You make too many resolutions.
2. They’re not realistic.
3. It’s too big of a change.
4. They’re not specific enough.
5. You want to see results as quickly as possible instead of focusing on making a new habit.
6. You give up too easily.
7. You’re too harsh on yourself if you don’t do well from the beginning.

Let’s not kid ourselves, we’re all guilty of at least one of these things or maybe all of them.

BUT if we start our resolutions now, then it allows you to test them out, to transition yourself into new habits, and to modify them as needed.

FIGURE OUT YOUR RESOLUTIONS IN DECEMBER FOR A SMOOTHER TRANSITION.

If you start in December, you’re less likely to be harsh on yourself because there’s not as much pressure as there is in January when everyone’s announcing their resolutions left and right. If you make too many resolutions, you can see which ones don’t really work and cut it down over the next month so you’re left with the ones you really want to commit to.

If you start on them now, then when January rolls around, it’ll be a smoother transition for your life, which will increase your chances of keeping your resolutions.

HABITS AREN’T MADE OVERNIGHT.

It’s said that it takes anywhere between 18 to 66 days to form a new habit, which is probably why so many people fail to keep their resolutions. People don’t give enough time for themselves to get into the swing of their new habits, so they feel disappointed when they can’t get it right from the beginning and give up.

In addition, if you’re so focused on seeing results instead of tracking your progress, then you’ll gradually lose motivation since results are never instantaneous. For example, if you’re trying to lose weight, you shouldn’t expect yourself to lose 10 pounds in one week; that’s unrealistic and you’ll probably end up discouraged if you don’t reach that goal.

IT’S EASIER TO FAIL IN DECEMBER THAN JANUARY.

Like I said earlier, people put a lot of pressure on themselves to become a better person right away in January. But December seems to be a less daunting month; it’s the end of the year where everyone is more or less enjoying the holiday season and putting off their healthy, mindful goals until the ball drops and the fireworks go off.

If you create resolutions in December, you can ease yourself into them. And of course, you can still enjoy the holidays!

Make sure to allow room for failure. Don’t give up as soon as you forget to do your resolution for a day; listen to your body and mind and see what you’re capable of before the new year starts so you know how to tackle your goals.

CELEBRATE SMALL MILESTONES.

If you lose a couple pounds in a week, maybe you shouldn’t celebrate with a giant pizza over the weekend. But you should acknowledge when you’ve taken a step towards your resolutions, even if it’s small.

If you’re trying to organize your schedule and you buy a planner, then at least you took a step in the right direction. If you got out and ran for 5 minutes, then give yourself a pat on the back because at least you tried.

Don’t forget to reward yourself along the way; people can easily forget how far they’ve come if they’re too focused on the end goal. But instead of eating ice cream every time you reach a short-term goal, buy yourself those shoes you’ve been wanting for months or take a trip somewhere. It’ll last a lot longer in your life than your frozen treat.

THE USUAL TIPS & TRICKS

Of course, there are tips that are given each year on how to keep your new year’s resolutions, but I think using them during December will help you reach your goals taht much quicker. Here are some of the common tips that are important to keep in mind for any resolution you make:

BE SPECIFIC.

Don’t write, “I will start eating healthy and exercising.” Instead write, “I will gather ingredients for meal prep and look up recipes.” “I will start running for 10 minutes 3x a week.” Be as specific as possible so you know exactly what you’re trying to do.

DON’T MAKE TOO MANY RESOLUTIONS AT A TIME.

It can be easy to write down resolutions just like how you write your other to-do lists, but making a laundry list of resolutions is one of the first steps towards failure. If you want to keep your resolutions, then just focus on a few at a time. Add and take out resolutions as the year goes on. Don’t rush to change everything in your life right away.

BE REALISTIC.

Although some people may be disciplined enough to make this happen, most of us can’t go from being a couch potato to “I’ll start working out every day” or “I’ll stop procrastinating” or “I’ll start getting 8 hours of sleep every night.”

We need to be realistic and understand that we can’t change overnight. Take small steps and make short-term goals to supplement your long-term goals.

MAKE A SOLID PLAN.

This is connected to being as specific as possible; if you wing things, chances are you won’t know what you’re doing.

Making a plan makes your resolutions real and they show what you need to do step by step so you don’t feel overwhelmed. And you don’t have to plan out the entire year; just take it month by month.

DON’T BEAT YOURSELF UP.

If you can’t manage to get to the gym for a week, it’s okay. If you “accidentally” ate a tub of ice cream over the weekend, it’s okay. What matters is what you do from that moment onward. Don’t give up just because you made a mistake. Try again until you get it right.

Overall, I think the idea of starting in December instead of January is more appealing. You can take your time, allow room for a few failures, and reflect on what you really want to improve about yourself before the new year is knocking on your door.

I hope you found this helpful; let me know if you have any special tricks for sticking to your resolutions in the comments below! Thanks for reading and I’ll see you lovelies soon!

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