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As 2022 comes to an end, you might have probably come up with the traditional list of good resolutions for the new year. Getting more sleep, read more, healthy diet, exercise… though you know it’s hard, you are determined to tackle any lofty goal you set. And this time around, you’ll stick to it, right? Right… But as 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail, how can you be sure you won’t be part of this stat yet again comes next February? Well, because this time around, you will write and keep track of your goals in a daily or weekly planner!

The power of writing your goals

A recent study shows that 64% abandon their New Year’s resolutions within a month, which is a great deal, right? The main reason for that? Visualization! You can’t reach what you can’t see. Whatever the goal, we have to visualize the results and the processes in order not to go astray. And that is exactly what the psychology of writing down goals is all about! When writing, we can visualize what we did, the steps left, and it empowers us to go on! If you commit every day, this habit tracker will quickly help you change your ways into healthy ones for you to enjoy the rest of your life!

How you ask? By writing down and monitoring every little thing you do every day! You’ll see small goals getting achieved and piling up on the way of fulfilling much bigger ones, paving the way to the biggest changes in your life yet.

It is also a powerful way to focus on you. You’ll be able to take care of yourself better, giving you the place you deserve in your busy life. If you’re a parent, you’ll find it easier to cope with your day to day chores as you will know that you set special times for you too!

So, this year is about you, not forgetting yourself and adding time for yourself. Let’s do it!

What you need to write down your New Year’s resolutions

In order to keep track of your goals, you’ll need a weekly or monthy planner, and preferably a 4-color pen. Here are the tools I personally use to get it done:

You can find a selection of different 2023 planners HERE (affiliate link). No need to be fancy, but feel free to choose one you like and enjoy opening every day!

How I use my planner

To keep track of my daily routines, diet and activity, I use different colors, hence the classic 4 color ballpoint pens!

I write the food I eat and what I drink using Green and Red. Green is for healthy, whole foods, and water. To enter that category, it absolutely needs to be whole food (natural and unprocessed, such as vegetables or fruits), water and home-made freshly pressed juice.
Red means unhealthy choices such as sweets, all processed foods, fruit juice, sodas and alcohol (I don’t drink alcohol at all, but if you do, even if you drink wine, this is the place to write it down).
Example:

• Food: mixed berries-banana-spinach smoothie / 5 vegetables stew / carrot-lentils soup /
  1pomegrenate / 1grapefruit / almond butter on rice crackers / frozen pizza / milk chocolate
• Drink: water: 7 glasses / fresh squeezed OJ 1 glass

I write in Blue the time spent exercising and sleeping. You have to keep a record of how many hours of sleep you had the night before and what exercises you did with number of minutes/hour.
Example:

• 8 hours-sleep + walk 10 mn, stretch 10 mn
• 7.5 hours/sleep + gym 1 hour
• 9 hours/sleep + 1hr swim, 1hr yoga class
• 8 hours/sleep + 10 squats, 15 half push-ups (2 times/day)

I jot down in black all the other activities. Be sure to always add something positive you liked or were thankful for during that particular day. Learning to appreciate what we have is important for our well-being, remember that.
Example:

• 1 hour massage / 30mn bath + thankful for visiting my aunt
• Afternoon at the beach + happy for the good/warm weather
• Special time with my coworkers/celebrating birthday + fun day at work

Of course, you can come up with your own way of writing things as you get comfortable with it, or even create your very own bullet journal if you’re into it!

How I set my goals to fulfill my New Year’s resolutions

I usually set my goals the SMART way. That is, SPECIFIC, MEASUREABLE, ACHIEVABLE, REALISTIC, and TIMEBOUND. Avoiding objectives that are too vague, like “get healthy” or too unrealistic, like “run a marathon next May“, is key here. But the simple fact of choosing a day of the week to set a goal like “tidy your room” or “meditate“, makes this goal a SMART one. So don’t overthink the process, just try to stick to what you like, what you can do, and what’s best for you. I value quality over quantity!

Here is a list of goals and resolutions you can add to your planner. Feel free to pick some ideas and add yours! Having a list helps you pick some or add on the fly, as days go by. Add them according to your color code.

Remember, be easy on yourself. We all have lazy days and it’s OK. Stay realistic, and you’ll quickly see the improvements for yourself as you write and fulfill each little goals or steps to bigger ones. Big accomplishments come with small steps, and it’s ok to stop sometimes. Be flexible, as flexible goal pursuit is associated with higher levels of mental wellbeing, and a greater chance of sticking to your short and long term goals, avoiding too much stress and frustration in the process.

Also, a very good way of helping you out reaching your goals is to share them with one or two good friends, or with your partner. Whether as motivators or actively sharing your goal, accountability helps and they will push you through hard times! However, don’t tell the world about it, as research shows that making your intentions go public will have the opposite effect. Again, don’t overdo it!

All you have to do now is getting ready to have your life changed for the better!

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If you need help changing habits and setting up healthy ones for you and/or your family, contact me (call or text +310 744 5702 ) and we can work on a taylor-made plan together!

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