What to do if you are struggling with your New Year's Resolution 2 1/2 weeks into it?

The struggle is real - honor it! Statistically, we fail 7-10 times before implementing habits successfully. Being honest, analyzing, and early intervention by adjusting and fine-tuning will give you higher chances of succeeding.

Let's start with a few questions:

Is your goal too big? Is what you are trying to implement too time-consuming for your schedule? Do you really have the amount of time available? Are you able to sustain what you are implementing for the next 6 months? Be honest with yourself. The best is to start small and then slowly increase intensity/duration etc.

What is your reason for implementing this new habit? Knowing your WHY can help tremendously in times when motivation is lacking. In those times, remind yourself of your WHY. what are the benefits of a successful outcome for you? How else may benefit from it?

3 WAYS TO FINE-TUNE YOUR HABIT AND GET BACK ON TRACK WITH YOUR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION AND SUCCEED:

#1: SPECIFIC PLANNING

I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION]. 

Be as specific as you can with your planning. Then write it in your schedule/calendar.

 #2: STACK YOUR HABITS

After I [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].

Stacking habits is a powerful way to succeed. Look at what habits you have already in place such as brushing teeth, walking the dog, or eating lunch. Add your new habit to your schedule right before or right after your already existing habit. It takes less energy for the brain to stack habits than implementing them independently.

#3: PREDICT AND GENERATE OPTIONS

If [OBSTACLE] occurs, then I will [ACTION]

 Visualize how your day/life looks like when you successfully implemented the habit? How will you feel? Then think of the obstacles that may come along? What will you do to not interrupt your consistency? 

This is how generating options could look like:

This can be implementing a habit 4 x per week and not every day so that you have the flexibility to move the date if time is an issue.

Maybe instead of implementing the habit every day for 20 min, set a minimum of 5min, knowing that that is bulletproof. Any extra minutes are a bonus.

Getting distracted? What distracts you? Can you intentionally eliminate the distraction ahead of time?

This content is not based on a specific research study. It is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider with any health concerns. Please read the full Terms and Conditions here.