Though they are often set with the best of intentions, it’s not uncommon for New Year’s resolutions and the motivation to meet them to fall by the wayside after a few weeks or months into the new year. Busy personal lives and stressful workdays can end up getting in the way, with “just getting by” taking precedence over any push to accomplish more than the status quo.
But according to the members of Young Entrepreneur Council, your year doesn’t have to go that way. Below, they each offer their top trick for making New Year’s resolutions work, especially as they relate to business, and explain why it’s possible to achieve your goals with the right plan in place.
Members pictured from left to right.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Find An Accountability Partner To Motivate You
I think the greatest thing you can do is make yourself accountable by getting an accountability partner or by joining a mastermind group. This can be done by reaching out to another entrepreneur, colleague or business mentor whom you trust and respect. Having someone else who knows what you’re working on and actively checks in with you will help keep you motivated throughout the year, which is key to achieving your goals. – Blair Williams, MemberPress
2. Set Short-Term Goals That Help You Reach Your Long-Term Goal
Setting goals that take a full 12 months can be unrealistic as the period of time is just too long. It takes a significant commitment and generally means it is easy to quit. I suggest focusing instead on setting small manageable goals that are part of a larger plan. Understand what your long-term goal is and then, at regular intervals, set smaller goals that help move you toward your long-term goal. The small victories will keep you motivated. – Zane Stevens, Protea Financial
3. Focus On One Goal At A Time
The trick to making a New Year’s resolution work is to focus on one thing. Many people build a whole list of resolutions. That’s great and all, but it can be hard to focus on all of them at once. You’ll be more successful if you just pick one goal to work on first and then build from there. When you successfully achieve a single goal or resolution, you’ll feel more motivated to keep going and accomplish more. – Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner
4. Check In With Your Progress Regularly
Setting SMART goals is a great trick to making a New Year’s resolution stick for your business. It’s a popular technique, but one thing people often leave out is goal check-ins—especially for goals with lengthy timelines. If you set a goal in January with a 12-month timeline, there’s a risk that it gets sidelined as you get busy throughout the year. Scheduling in regular check-ins (at least monthly) will ensure you can identify goals that are falling behind while there’s still time to get them back on schedule. – Diana Goodwin, MarketBox
5. Turn Your Goal Into Your ‘Frog’
If I have a goal, I make it my “frog” and commit to ensuring I get it done as early in the day as possible. A metaphor from a Mark Twain quote, a “frog” is a pressing task or something you need to do, but you maybe aren’t making it a focus. I advise making any New Year’s resolution your frog and breaking it down into a series of achievable tasks and targets you commit to knocking out as early in the day as possible. Referred to as “Eat That Frog,” this time-management system laid out in the bestselling book of the same name by Brian Tracy, is a way to get what you need to do the most completed early. Applied to a New Year’s resolution, this tactic has you time-block for progress, which done repetitively will reap results. In other words, turn your resolution into a series of conquerable frogs and then eat one early every day. – David Henzel, TaskDrive
6. Keep A Resolution Journal For Reflection And Organization
Most people already understand the basics of getting resolutions to work: Create a specific plan, set feasible deadlines and create accountability in some form. However, the trick to making resolutions work long term is to keep a resolution journal. Keeping a resolution journal allows you to write about your successes and struggles and, most importantly, it allows you to write why you are working toward your goal. It helps you keep track of the past, organize the present and plan for the future. You can buy resolution journals online or you can create your own journals with your own artwork and motivational quotes. Whatever you choose, a journal will help you become one of the few people who are able to say that they really did keep their New Year’s resolution! – Shu Saito, All Filters
7. Ensure Your Goal Is Of High Value To You
I think the trick to making a New Year’s resolution work is to ensure that it’s something super important or of high value to you. It’s common for people to set New Year’s resolutions (personal or professional) when inspired by others. That can be good enough to keep you motivated for a few days or weeks, but not throughout the journey. Achieving certain goals requires consistent effort and patience for you to reap the benefits. For that, your resolution should be important enough for you to be a self-starter. Unless you believe in your heart that something that you strive for is of high value, it’s difficult to stick to the plan and stay motivated throughout the grind. – Jared Atchison, WPForms
8. Put Antecedents And Rewards In Place
If you’re committing to a New Year’s resolution, make sure you put both the antecedents and the rewards in place to ensure you stick to your new goal. For example, if your goal is to prepare for your day, create an antecedent such as scheduling daily time in your calendar and then a reminder alarm to complete your goal. As a reward, you might want to schedule a snack or coffee break after your prep session, which you only take once you’ve finished your task of prepping. This sets up the task to be completed and gives you a reward when done, thus creating a positive “habit-forming” behavior change. – Cooper Harris, Klickly
9. Keep Progressing Despite Any Failures Or Hurdles
I think the key to making a New Year’s resolution work, whether personal or professional, is not giving up on it. You have to fortify your mind and keep the needle moving no matter what. Some of the goals you set for the coming year will be easy to achieve—others not so much. The trick to achieving all your goals is to keep progressing forward despite countless failures and mishaps. It’s easy to be demotivated and just give up on something. But, it takes an iron will and an unshakable resolve to push forward despite all odds. After all, there’s a reason why they call it a resolution. – Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms