UXL Blog

When the clock strikes midnight on December 31^st, we feel a sense of renewal, a fresh start. Many of us make New Year’s resolutions and pledge to begin our new healthy habits as soon as the year begins. Although the energy of a new year can help us along for a while, it can be very difficult to sustain a new habit if we aren’t used to doing it. Making the switch from a junk food diet to a healthy one, going from the couch to the gym, cutting ourselves off from social media, or any big lifestyle change can rock our routines and make us feel a bit off balance. And this discomfort might be enough for many people to eventually give up and say, “Well, there’s always next year…”

How can we avoid making short-lived resolutions? How can we make healthy changes that last? The answer might be “ramping up” your resolutions.

It is difficult for most people to make a major change at the drop of a hat. Instead, it can be helpful to make incremental changes—minor tweaks to your usual routine that are relatively painless to implement. Small changes can add up, especially when you make a conscious effort to ramp up those changes day after day, and week after week.

If you haven’t been jogging lately, it would be exceedingly difficult (if not impossible!) to run a marathon. That’s why there are marathon training regimens in place. These programs help people build up speed and stamina over the course of several months, so by the time the marathon rolls around, they’re well prepared.

The same idea can be applied to ramping up your resolutions. A month or two before the new year, you might start building toward your resolution. Let’s say you’d like to read two books every month next year. You can start by committing to reading a minimum of three pages a day for a few days. Then, you can increase that amount to five pages, then ten pages, then an entire chapter. By New Year’s Eve, you will have developed the beginning of a reading habit and will be ready to tackle your resolution in earnest.

Another example is eating a healthier diet. To prepare for this resolution, you can start small. Try swapping a daily junk food snack for a healthier option (swap potato chips for sliced veggies or an apple; swap a cookie for a piece of low-sugar dark chocolate). Or, you could modify one of your daily meals to be healthier (eating a salad for lunch instead of a pre-packaged sandwich or mac ‘n’ cheese).

To ramp up to your resolution, it’s a good idea to keep a few things in mind:

• It pays to plan! Set a starting point and map out how you will slowly ramp up your behavior.
• Use a calendar and set alerts. This will help remind you of your next “ramp up.”
• Don’t stress the start date. You can start making incremental changes at any time of year, not just before the new year. Just make sure you have a clear direction and have mapped out how you will ramp up.
• Celebrate wins! Don’t forget to recognize the progress you’re making.
• Get others on board. It can be very helpful to include others on your journey of self-improvement. Ask a friend to check in from time to time to help you reach your goals (and don’t forget to offer to do the same for them).

The end of the year is fast approaching, and it’s not too late to start thinking about the changes you’d like to make for yourself. No matter your goals, it can be hugely helpful to tackle them slowly, one small change at a time. You’ve got this, and I’m cheering you on!

MARGARET SMITH IS A CAREER COACH, AUTHOR, INSIGHTS® DISCOVERY (AND DEEPER DISCOVERY) LICENSED PRACTITIONER, AND FOUNDER OF UXL. SHE HOSTS WORKSHOPS FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED CAREER OR PERSONAL GUIDANCE. 
CHECK OUT MARGARET’S ONLINE LEADERSHIP COURSE. 

Tags: better new year's resolutions, Margaret Smith life coach, Margaret Smith LP of Insights, new year resolutions 2024, new year strategies, why ramp up resolutions