New Year!!

New Year New Me!!

Fireworks! - Drawn by Me using PenUp

Nah, fuck that shit!

We don't need to be new me, we don't need to put that pressure on ourselves to change instantly OVERNIGHT! Because that is just what it is - another night leading to another day.

Trying to be perfect at you new resolutions (yeah you probably have more than one!) is only going to keep you under so much pressure that you will eventually crack and that is when the resolutions break! That is why you cannot stick to it.

It is the same with any new habit or routine you need to start slowly and allow progress to build up over time! You cannot go from having poor eating habits to eating healthy for every meal instantly, you can't decide to have the perfect morning routine after years of just getting out of bed and rushing to work! IT IS TOO MUCH EXPECTATION IN TOO LITTLE TIME!

Let's try to be kinder to ourselves and not push and punish ourselves needlessly over a change in day/month/year!

Instead make actionable goals, break the goals down - into MANAGEABLE steps, give yourself plenty of time to do the steps required to reach that goal without burnout! If you create a plan you are much less likely to procrastinate - especially if you schedule rest days in that plan!

Let me give you an example: say I want to start eating healthier, instead of just stating that get really specific - what does eating healthier mean to me? What is my reason for doing this? How will I know if I am meeting my goal?

So let's say eating healthier for me is increasing fruit and veg, I want to eat 7 a day, and that I currently have 1-2. Realistically going from 2 to 7 can be done for a few days, sustaining it for longer periods - not so much! Breaking this down by adding one more for a week, then another and so on. Also, what will you add in and for what meal? Are you just going to wing it and hope it works out, are you going to meticulously measure the amount of each fruit and veg needed to constitute a portion?

My point here is that it is so easy to do too much or too little!

This is why resolutions are tough!

When it comes to goal setting and making routines (read Atomic Habits by James Clear, this book really changed how I plan goals out!) there are several things you can do to help you:

1. Make it OBVIOUS - be specific about what you want to achieve, what the goal is and what it entails and HOW you are going to work towards it. Schedule a time and place to work on it. Give yourself enough time to put in the work because it is so annoying when you just get into it and then you realise you've not got the right timeframe planned out, then you feel rushed and behind on other things - leading to overwhelm!

2. Make it ATTRACTIVE - if you don't like what you are doing, or what you need to do, chances are won't do it! You will procrastinate and do something FUN instead! So to counteract this, pair it with something fun, e.g. listen to audiobooks whilst doing something creative. That way you are adding to your reading goals and enjoying it too! (Unless like me you love reading haha!)

3. Make it EASY - if it is too much at once, not laid it clearly or you are trying to do too much at once then you will procrastinate, be super anxious and get overwhelmed - leading to burnout! Nothing makes you go through the Procrastination-Burnout cycle quicker than trying to do too much at once. Plus you will feel worse and worse about yourself when you can't complete the task. Learn how to break goals down into monthly, weekly, and daily goals to minimise the steps required to reach that big goal! Added bonus you will always be working towards that goal and will feel amazing about yourself and achieve it in record time!!!

4. Make it SATISFYING - I'm talking REWARDS!! Celebrate yourself - you deserve it! When you tick off that daily goal acknowledge the hard work you put in, do something fun afterwards, give yourself a treat. Put some money into a savings account each time you smash a daily goal and buy yourself something nice at the end of the month! You decide how best to reward yourself - always start with acknowledgement and make a big deal of how much effort you've put in! Check out this reel about celebrating yourself.

These make it so much easier to stay on track, having goals and making resolutions is great! If you have a plan, you get specific AF and you realistically make time to do it then

you will achieve your goals and feel so much better about yourself.

Remember to also schedule in rest breaks if you don't naturally give yourself time for rest! Resting is super important in order to have the energy, physical and mental capacity to reach your goals and to prevent getting stuck in the Procrastination-Burnout cycle and the illusion of perfection!

New year doesn't have to be 100% transformative - 1% at a time is good enough!

If you want to learn more about the Procrastination-Burnout Cycle and how to overcome it, sign up for my FREE workshop on 3rd January 2025 (replays are available).

Happy New Year!