New Year, New Me: New year's resolutions and how to stick to them

So we’ve all just about got over the New Year's hangover, and after a few days boxing off the Christmas food and getting back to work, it’s probably time to start on those resolutions you made for yourself. Now, we all know how this usually goes. You go all out in January, going 100mph and doing all you can to get yourself in line with your targets; then come February or march time, you’ve either knackered yourself out or have completely regressed and given up. 

We know exactly what this is like, we’ve all done it, and will more than likely do it again. However, in 2023, we here at Skiddle are determined to do everything we can to help you actually achieve your goals, as we also want this year to be the one we actually achieve a resolution. 

Whether you want to lose weight, start reading more, sort out your finances, start a new hobby, maybe even buy more tickets on Skiddle (We’ve heard this one’s a very popular choice), or anything in between. We have put together a guide to help you realise and overcome your New Year’s resolutions, because if not now, when?

Make your goals realistic for you

First off, let's just be real for a second, if you work long weeks, you’re not going to be able to fit the gym into your schedule as much as someone with a 9-5. Similarly, if you work late nights in a bar, it's going to be hard to stay away from alcohol (we all know what the hospitality sector is like.) 

So, with this in mind, the first and arguably most important thing for you to do, is make your goal realistic for you and your lifestyle. It’s really all about making your resolution as easy as possible for you to fit into your life, as when it starts interfering, that's when we start to give up.

Image: Miguel A Amutio on Unsplash

Limit your resolutions

Whilst it is undeniably important to make your goals realistic, if you make too many resolutions, it can be incredibly daunting. It’s really quite difficult to establish new behavioural patterns; it takes time and persistent effort. Focusing on one or two specific goals makes keeping a resolution much more achievable, as it means you can properly plan and focus on achieving them.

Be specific with your goals and make them measurable to see your progress

Now, we’ve picked something realistic, and we’ve made sure to limit our focus to give us the best chance. The next thing we need to tackle, and arguably one of the most common reasons why we always fail, is setting ambiguous goals. 

We always tell ourselves that we want to ‘Lose Weight’ or ‘Save Money’, but really, we need to tie this back into our realistic goals and set concrete, achievable goals that give us something to strive towards. So, instead of saying you want to lose weight, say you want to lose X amount of weight, or you want to go to the gym twice a week. This will programme your brain and make things concrete, giving you the opportunity to plan exactly how you are going to accomplish your goal over the course of the year.

Image: Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

Make a plan

Speaking of plans… Make one! You may see this stage as procrastination that stops you from actually getting started, or maybe you’ve tried it before and failed (this could come back to our point on making your goals realistic and limited), however, a detailed plan can help you avoid potential obstacles, or make assurances for when a spanner gets thrown in the works.

If you start making strides toward your resolution without a plan in place, you may find yourself giving up early doors when you face your first obstacle, setback, or resistance. For example, if the goal you’ve set is to go to the gym three times a week, what happens if life gets in the way and you've missed four days in a row, and what happens if you injure yourself, or go on holiday? 

A plan negates the inevitable dread that sets over when a situation like this comes up, and you can be reassured in knowing that you have set plans in motion for whatever eventuality. 

Start with the small wins

After all this, you should feel extremely confident that this year is your year. You’ve got a refined and concrete plan in place for your resolutions, they’re realistic and focused with measurable goals... You’ve got this, right?

Well, there's another elephant in the room when it comes to resolutions, and that is patience. We are all human beings here, and the harsh reality of a lot of the resolutions we make is, they just don't happen overnight, or even in a month or two for that matter. Getting fit, sorting your finances, or starting a new hobby, takes time, patience and commitment, and that's why you need to celebrate the small victories along the way.

If your plan is to go to the gym, just go for half-hour sessions at first, and start on low weights or running distances, remember you’re building a foundation for future success. If you want to eat better, don't just throw yourself into a strict diet, start by identifying an unhealthy food in your diet and replace that, then once you’re comfortable eating fruit instead of chocolate, start again. 

These will make the whole process steadier and less stressful, believe us. If there's one thing you take away from this be it this one. Don't rush, you’ve got this. 

Image: Christian Erfurt on Unsplash

Don’t let setbacks defeat you, learn from them

Now we can already hear what you're saying, that's pretty obvious isn't it guys? Well, yeah kind of, but letting yourself feel defeated after a setback isn't the real focus of this one. We’re only human, we’re going to feel annoyed at ourselves or let down when we don't achieve what we want. But the most important thing is that you learn from it. 

Instead of regressing into what's comfortable after a setback, sit down with yourself and try and pinpoint what led to it. Were you overworked and stressed so you ordered that takeaway? Did you decide that you wanted to go out with your mates to a gig or event and missed the gym that week? Whatever has happened, realise that the path to the top isn't a straight line, it is about what you do when that first obstacle comes your way.

Stay positive and don't force yourself too hard

Finally, just try and stay positive with it all. If your resolution is causing you stress or pain and is making you feel worse than when you started then think about changing your goals or stopping them altogether. At the end of the day as good as you feel when making your resolutions, sometimes they can just get in the way of life, and it's the reason why giving them up has become such a meme.

Just do what's best for you, but one thing we won't have is you giving up before even trying! Just try and make it until April/May time, and if it's too much, at least you can tell yourself you gave it a go!

If your New Years resolution was to go to more gigs and events, well, you're in the right place. Here at Skiddle, we have so much on offer that it may overwhelm you. So, why not try checking out some of our inspire me pages, where there are tailor-made lists of events of different types?

You can find the Inspire Me pages by clicking or tapping - HERE

Check out our What's On Guide to discover more rowdy raves and sweaty gigs taking place over the coming weeks and months. For festivals, lifestyle events and more, head on over to our Things To Do page or be inspired by the event selections on our Inspire Me page.