The New Year often brings with it resolutions. Webster’s defines a resolution as “a firm decision to do or not to do something.” And, many studies indicate that most of us will quit the resolution before the end of January. So, with the odds against us, should we even set resolutions to begin with? I dug into the reports about why we quit and found a few things that I think could be the source of the problem for many:
- Our goals are so big, we don’t know where to start
- Our goal is too vague and we can’t decide specifically what to do
- We try to do too much right at the start and become overwhelmed
- We aren’t seeing results quick enough
- Our discipline wanes and we give up
So, now what?! My perspective is that we should shift away from resolutions and start looking at our habits. We can work more and more positive habits into our life over time and reduce our bad habits. In January, maybe we just start with one small habit – something positive that can be done in less than 10 minutes. As we see success with this change, we add another, and then another. Over time, we start to see the changes we hoped to make. We need to be in it for the long run and stop looking around every corner for the next “quick fix”.
Resources for Creating Habits
I’ve spent a LOT of time over the last ten years, reading, learning, and trying to implement different habits. Along the way, I’ve come across some resources that I would recommend for anyone making the shift from Resolutions to Habits. Below are a three of those resources I would recommend checking out. I hope you find them helpful on your personal development journey:
The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin. This book covers the four types of people and how each meets expectations. Having an understanding of how you are driven to meet goals can be paramount to your success (or not). For those who aren’t readers or audiobook listeners, I would recommend this 30-minute podcast to get an overview. She also has a course on the tendencies if you want to dive deeper. That can be found here.
A Habit Streak App. There are a number of different apps out there that help you track your habit. Watching the tracker is a bit of a game, you don’t want to miss a day or you start back at the beginning. Currently, I’m trying out a new one I’ve discovered called Streaking. Another alternative would be Streaks. If neither of those seem quite right for you, I would recommend a search in the app store to find the perfect fit.
Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg. This book is based on behavioral science and debunks the myths surrounding habit development. The key is to smart small….really small….and build to something larger over time. If the book isn’t for you, do a podcast search of “BJ Fogg”. He has done a number of interviews talking about the book and the approach.
Better Than Before. The final recommendation circles back again to Gretchen Rubin. In this book, she provides twenty-one strategies for creating habits. She notes that everyone is unique and what works for one person may not work for another. This book lets you pick and choose the approaches that will work for you. I don’t have a book alternative for this one.
Summary
What I’ve learned over the years is that the more I understand myself and the way I approach the world the better I am at creating new habits and moving forward on my personal development journey. I’ve tried things that have worked fabulously and I’ve tried other approaches that fell completely flat. No matter your approach, start small and develop the changes that will last over time. Soon you might just discover that the big lofty resolution you had back in 2010 has been accomplished – slowly, over time.
While I continue to be a big believer in creating new habits, Seth Godin’s blog post today titled “The Ruts” was a great reminder that you also need to know when a habit has run it’s course. We can get stuck in the way we’ve always done things and need to constantly think about which habits may be holding us back.
As you move into 2021, try out some new habits. And, while you are at it, maybe think about some habits that it’s time to drop to make room for the new ones. Enjoy your journey!