TIPS TO ACHIEVING YOUR NEW YEAR'S GOALS
- Set realistic, achievable goals
- Be specific (not "work out more," but "I'm going to go to the gym three times a week")
- Establish a deadline for reaching your goal ("I'm going to lose five pounds by Memorial Day")
- Break goal into small, action steps
- Set a start and stop time for each step ("I'm going to clean this corner of the garage from 9 to 11 on Saturday")
- Keep your goal "top of mind" by using visual reminders (notes on bathroom mirror or steering wheel)
- Choose one day a week, on a calendar, to check on your progress
- Make one resolution at a time, be selective and don't overwhelm yourself
- Make yourself "accountable" to someone else by informing that person of your goals
- Be consistent -- repeating a new behavior helps to replace old behavior
- Use positive self-talk -- "I am losing weight" or "I am becoming a saver"
- Modify your goal, if necessary, rather than abandoning it
