This post has been republished via RSS; it originally appeared at: New blog articles in Microsoft Tech Community.
Did you know that January 17th has been designated as the day you're likely to ditch your New Year’s resolutions? We’re here to say “STOP, don’t do it!” But also, can we please make them better? Whether your resolutions are to walk more, to start a new hobby, or to get that dream project off the ground, we’re here for you. It’s time to get serious. Here are our top tips for sticking to those resolutions beyond January 17th. As they say, a goal without a plan is just a wish. Let’s make 2020 the year we stop wishing and start planning.
Break goals down into bite-sized chunks
Let’s pick starting a new hobby. What does your end goal look like? If it’s to write three times a week, then you can set up a recurring task to repeat on the days you’d like to write. If the end goal is to prepare for a big event, like a book reading or novel launch, use steps to break that mammoth task down into smaller tasks. And, don’t forget to add all the logistics like “register for book reading” in there too.
Make SMART tasks
Once you break those tasks into smaller chunks, you can implement the idea of SMART tasks – make them specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based. Be honest with yourself about how much time you can commit to each goal. Then, set due dates and make sure you can track your progress.
Give yourself room for failure
Taken a trip at the first hurdle and now you feel like you might as well give up? Don’t be so hard on yourself. Changing your habits aren’t easy and you can’t expect it to happen straight away. You might be trying to eat out less to save money, but you’re out of food and the shops are closed. Don’t worry about it – you can try again tomorrow. Give yourself some wiggle room. You can even plan it in. Give yourself some cheat passes each month. If you don’t feel like sticking to that resolution today, then tick off one of those cheat passes.
Acknowledge that change takes time
Perhaps we should call them New Year’s evolutions, not resolutions. Are you an introvert who’s decided to meet more people this year? Starting right away with a plan to go out every night and talk to 5 new people will quickly lead to burnout. Set yourself weekly or monthly incremental goals. Start with a goal of going for lunch with one new colleague each week. Once you’re comfortable with that, start on the next goal, stretching yourself a little more each time.
Give yourself visual reminders
If your resolution is to save money for the vacation of a lifetime, change the background of your list to reflect it or add a related emoji to the beginning of your list. Give yourself visual reminders. You can also associate each money-saving accomplishment with checking off a new goal for that vacation. “When I’ve saved $100, I can research exactly where I want to go.” Plan in small treats each time you hit a new milestone to celebrate the small wins.
On a side note, did you know that having clear weekly meal plans and set grocery lists that you don’t deviate from have both been proven to save money? That, and never going to the supermarket hungry, of course.
Accountability buddy
Finally, don’t do it alone. Get an accountability buddy for each area you want to work on. Telling someone else your goal has been shown to increase the likelihood of sticking with it. So have a think about who you’d like as your accountability buddy. We’ll talk more about accountability buddies in a future post.
That’s it from us. Here are a couple of tips from over on Twitter.
:raising_hands:Stick to a habit and use repetitive tasks in todo
— ??? Luise Freese | #Maker | #MVP (@LuiseFreese) January 14, 2020
:raising_hands:Choose wisely what to do with your day using the MY DAY feature
:raising_hands:Review your Long term goals (I have them in a special list) and ask yourself from time to time what you do on a regular basis to achieve them.
Here's the best tip
— siddharth narayan aditya (@_sidnarayan) January 14, 2020
1- make all ur work & fitness & misc list on @MicrosoftToDo
2- allot time in ur list for bottlenecks + extra grace period
3-wear a watch as marker of conscientiousness
Have a tip to add? Let us know in the comments or over on Twitter or Facebook.