56 Feature


THE HERALD FRIDAY JANUARY 6 2017


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2017 IS JUST a few days old and,


like millions of Britons, you may have made a couple of New Year’s resolutions. So, what do you want to do during


2017? And how do you make sure you stick to your goals? Age-old resolutions such as dieting and


giving up cigarettes are still on the list of the most popular resolutions. Other popular


state-of-the-art


resolutions include travelling more, watching less TV and calling people more often instead of sending texts. A pol, of 2,000 adults found that going


on a diet is the most popular New Year’s resolution, followed by going on mini- breaks and holidays, travelling more often and reading more books. Drinking less alcohol came fifth, with


giving up smoking, setting more time aside for a hobby or personal project, more time with family, cooking from scratch and spending less time on social media completing the top 10. Printing out and framing more


photographs is also on the list of popular resolutions, along with doing something to help a good cause, cutting down on screen- time generally and spending less time checking your phone. Keeping up-to-date with politics,


sharing less on social media and writing or updating a blog also feature. Researchers found three quarters of


Brits have made a New Year’s resolution but more than one in 10 don’t even last a


day before giving in. Almost four in 10 have gone back on


their resolution within the first week of January. Seven in 10 admit they have even had


years where they had every intention of making a New Year’s resolution, but have given up before they even started trying. It also emerged that 77% of Brits start


January with a positive mind-set, but most find that their good mood has faded by the middle of the month. Almost half put this down to getting


fed-up of the bad weather, while another 27% become down-heartened after failing at their resolutions. But to try and perk themselves up, 31%


book a holiday for the year ahead, with nine in 10 saying this helps them to get through the long first month of the year. Another six in 10 would also like to


try to avoid the January blues by seeing in the New Year abroad if money was no issue, with New York, Australia, Barbados, Las Vegas and the Canary Islands the most popular destinations.


Top 10 resolutions: 1. Go on a diet/lose weight 2. Go on a holiday or mini-breaks


3. Travel and see more of the world 4. Read more books 5. Drink less alcohol 6. Give up smoking


7. Put time aside for a personal hobby or project


8. Spend more time with family 9. Cook from scratch more often 10. Spend less time on social media


So, some of these may be your goals


for the year - but how do you make sure you stick to what you have said? According to Philip Clarke, psychology


lecturer at the University of Derby Online Learning, the biggest mistake is that many people identify what they want to achieve but do not think about how to do it. He said: “They set long-term outcome


goals such as getting a ‘dream body’ or to spend more time with family and, as a starting point, these sound like good goals. The problem is that the goal-setting process for many people stops there. “People who develop action plans


experience less anxiety, more confidence, improved concentration and greater satisfaction about achieving their goals and are more likely to succeed.” Here are six keys steps to take in


ensuring you create an effective New Year’s resolution plan:


1. Is it specific? Bad goal: I want to save more money


this year


Good goal: I will save £6,000 this year Goals need to be specific; as humans,


we work better when we have a clear goal in mind. The ‘want to do my best’ goal can be great for motivation but being specific can help give you a clear focus on what needs


to be done.


2. Can it be measured? Bad Goal: I want to lose weight Good Goal: I will lose two stone by my


son’s wedding As you can see in the above goal, it’s


specific but it’s also allows us to measure it and see progression as time passes. This helps with keeping you motivated as you can see how far you have come.


3. Is it achievable or attainable? Bad Goal: I want to speak to my friends on the phone each week Good Goal: I will use the bus journey


home to talk with my friends every week on the phone. This is a key component of the action


plan. Is the goal I am setting attainable? You want a balance of challenge, to keep you motivated, but not too hard as you might lose focus and experience feelings of anxiety and stress. You shouldn’t increase your goal by


more than 5% of your current performance or ability.


4. Is it realistic? Bad Goal: I want to fit into my old


jeans


Good Goal: I am going to get into my old jeans by June 1 Make sure your goal can be achieved


realistically in the time frame you are looking to achieve them in.


Setting a timeline for when you want to achieve your goal is important. This is the part where you need to make


use of setting goals that are both long and short term; our main goal may be six to eight months away but by setting short term goals, you will always have an upcoming goal to works towards.


5. Is it exciting?


Bad Goal: I want to save money Good Goal: I will save money so I can take my children on holiday to Disneyland Your goal needs to be exciting. If


planned correctly, this can help you stay motivated when you are experiencing a particular tough decision that takes you away from your goal. Try coming up with different and interesting ways of making your goals exciting.


6. Is your goal recorded? We make many goals in our head that


we end up forgetting so ‘ink it, don’t think it’. By recording your goal, you make a conscious commitment that this is what you want to achieve. Once you have made this commitment, put it in places that can easily be seen. Put it in your gym bag, put it on your bathroom mirror or your kitchen fridge.


As you can see, all the good goals are


in a positive assertive fashion. This type of mind-set will help you stay motivated for achieving those goals.


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