The ball drops, fireworks go off and a new year begins. You might be moving into 2021 with a fresh perspective and new resolutions by your side, but those good feelings may disappear. Despite setting large goals, it is extremely common for resolutions to fail, and your odds at keeping them are low if you do not have a successful plan in mind.
Benjamin Ladd, clinical psychologist and assistant professor of psychology, specializes in human behavioral changes. Ladd currently teaches a class on methods of self-improvement, and explains the first steps to achieving your goals are to have the motivation and willingness to try.
“It’s like a double-edged sword in terms of making self-directed change. On one hand, I think it’s nice because social support is really important. So even if somebody else is not making the same New Year’s resolution, groups of people are making change, so in that way it can be useful, there is value there,” Ladd said. “On the other hand, I think it can also serve to set people up to fail, in the sense that it is not just about the motivation, we also have to have the plan. I think oftentimes people once they feel motivated, they skip the planning stage.”
Having a plan makes a New Year’s resolution gain more chances of success. For example, instead of deciding on your resolutions last minute, use the previous month of December to create a comprehensive plan. However, even when considering a good achievement plan, the resolution you are trying to achieve could be problematic in itself.
Psychology Professor Tahira Probst specializes in organizational psychology and says sometimes people tend to choose goals or resolutions that are unrealistic. She explains that specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-based goals, or SMART goals, are crucial for success when trying to achieve a new and realistic aspiration.
“Goals should be challenging and should stretch you a bit beyond your comfort zone, but they should not be completely unrealistic, like, ‘I will never eat chocolate in 2021.’ A more realistic goal might be, I will only eat chocolate once per week,” Probst explained.
Another element that increases your chances of attaining resolutions is implementing a reward system. Ladd says it is important to reward yourself after doing something that helps you achieve your goals, as it ensures you will keep up the good behavior.
“This is definitely coming from myself trained as a behaviorist in particular, but it really does rely on principles of reinforcement. I think that can be a really powerful mechanism for people, if you can create a system that rewards your behavior, especially in the short term. I think most of the time when people are talking about changes that they want to make but they have not, it is often because the value of that behavior is delayed,” Ladd said.
As for staying on track with your New Year’s resolutions, Ladd suggests creating a plan to remove cues or triggers that might encourage slip-ups and to avoid tempting situations whenever possible.
“I think that is another thing about making plans, is how can you avoid tempting situations and set up the environment to be conducive to your goals? So it is not just about saying, ‘alright, I am not going to drink soda.’ And then when you go to the fridge, do not pick the soda, [but instead] pick the water, the juice or whatever. If you go to the fridge, and there is no soda, you do not have to make that choice,” Ladd said.
Going into 2021 provides many people with the opportunity to make new resolutions that involve lasting change. While also encouraging others to have the willingness to achieve their goals, both Ladd and Probst suggest using these tips to make one’s New Year’s resolution a permanent fix, instead of temporary.