How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

The turn of the calendar year is always a time for celebration, ushering out the old and bringing in the new: new year, new beginnings! It’s also a time for resolutions and goal-setting for the year ahead. This week, we’re bringing you 5 tips to help keep the resolutions you’ve made. Happy New Year!

Goals that have the highest rate for success are specific. Make it something that is highly specific to you and to your life. An example might be to say lose 5 pounds by June. This is a precise goal and it has a timeline, which is also good. In contrast, a vague goal would be to lose weight. It’s a lot easier to accomplish the former due to its detailed nature. Precision makes it easier to create a plan around the goal.

Don’t set an unrealistic goal for yourself, it will be easy to quit and hard to attain. Unrealistic goals are more akin to day dreams and while not to say that we shouldn’t aim for the stars, sometimes it’s best to start a bit closer to home. An example here might be to aim to save 10% of each paycheck this year. If you were to set a goal to save 50% of each paycheck, that is highly unlikely that you’d be able to maintain this, as you will have living costs and even unforeseen expenses. But aim for something that seems plausible when starting to make resolutions, even if it’s just a small milestone or a stop on the way to a larger goal.

Once you set a reasonable and specific goal, it’s time to create a plan to support you on your quest to this goal. A plan will help keep you motivated and accountable every step of the way toward your goal. Planning should also account for relapses or disappointments on the road toward your goal, and include how you’ll get back on the proverbial horse. If you set a goal to run 1 mile three times per week for the month of January, how will you motivate yourself to get out of bed for the run when it’s cold outside? Will you build in rewards to your program? If you miss a week, how will you bounce back? The more detailed your plan, again, the more likely you will succeed at meeting your goals!

This relates back to reasonable expectations in your goals. But begin slow, give yourself time to adapt to the changes you’re making. Don’t over do it as a fast-out-of-the-gate start will likely result in lagging behind later on. If your goal is to walk through Europe in August, begin with small, frequent walks now and gradually build up. If you try to walk 12 miles without preparing, it will likely land you with blisters and sore feet, dampening your enthusiasm and goal success.

Goals are more likely to be achieved when there’s a support system in place. Having someone to help hold you accountable and help you stay motivated and honest about your goals is a big deal. Having a buddy who might join you in your goal is great for moral support and will help you stick with it. Not only will it be more fun, your odds for success will increase!

You might also try using a goal- tracking app such as Clickup or Strides to help you track your progress and meet your goals! Accountability, whether to an app or a human, is helpful in keeping track of where you are and where you want to go.

If you fall short, or are unable to stick with your goal, above all else, be kind to yourself and simply begin again. Recommit for 24 hours, a short amount of time that once you reach, will feel empowering. This will give you the steam to keep going.

The Lombardy Hotel’s timeless elegance is iconic to Midtown Manhattan. Our rooms are spacious, comfortable and thoughtfully designed to make you feel at home. We look forward to hosting you on your next visit to New York City.

*Due to Covid-19 our restaurant, cafe and gym will remain closed for a time.