Como conseguir tus Metas por Richard Wiseman

What’s the best way of making your New Year’s resolutions stick?Last year Prof Richard Wiseman tracked the lives of over 700 people as they attempted to achieve their New Year’s resolutions. Participants were asked to describe the techniques that they had employed and their level of success. Only 12% of participants achieved their resolution. By comparing the techniques used by successful and unsuccessful participants, Wiseman identified effective and ineffective ways of achieving long-lasting change. Wiseman’s results suggest that many of the ideas recommended by self-help experts simply don’t work.

We have developed a fun quiz on based on this work that predicts the likelihood of you achieving your resolutions – try it here.

Here is Prof Wiseman talking about the research…

Finally, here are main four tips for achieving your New Year’s resolution..

1) Break your goal into a series of steps, focusing on creating sub-goals that are concrete, measurable, and time-based. Focus on creating goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time based (SMART). For example, instead of thinking ‘I want to find a new job’, focus on creating bite-sized, measurable goals for each week, such as rewriting your CV and then applying for one new job every two weeks. Map out the step-by-step mini-goals that will slowly but surely take you to where you want to be, make a note of them in a diary, and stick to the plan.

2) Tell your friends and family about your goals, thus increasing the fear of failure and eliciting support. For example, write down your resolution on a large sheet of paper, sign it, and place it somewhere prominent in your house. Tell your friends, family and colleagues about your resolution, and ask them to provide you with helpful nudges to assist you in achieving your goal. Either way, do not keep your resolution to yourself.

3) Regularly remind yourself of the benefits associated with achieving your goals by creating a checklist of how life would be better once you obtain your aim. For example, if you want to quit smoking, make a list of the benefits of giving up, and place it somewhere prominent in your house. If you want to motivate yourself to go to the gym, list the positive side of being fitter and put it in a place that ensures you will see it each day.

4) Expect to revert to your old habits from time to time. Treat any failure as a temporary set-back rather than a reason to give up altogether. New habits take time to learn, and once in a while you will slip up and revert to the old you. People on diets might suddenly give in to temptation, or those trying to exercise more might not find the time to go to the gym for a week. Remember that everyone messes up from time to time. Don’t blame yourself if you falter, or allow the experience to make you give up.

…and here are another six….

1) Make only one resolution, your chances of success are greater when you channel energy into changing just one aspect of your behaviour.

2) Don’t wait until New Year’s Eve to think about your resolution and instead take some time out a few days before and reflect upon what you really want to achieve.

3) Avoid previous resolutions; deciding to re-visit a past resolution sets you up for frustration and disappointment.

4) Don’t run with the crowd and go with the usual resolutions. Instead think about what you really want out of life.

5) Give yourself a small reward whenever you achieve a sub-goal, thus maintaining motivation and a sense of progress.

6) Make your plans and progress concrete by keeping a handwritten journal, completing a computer spreadsheet or covering a notice board with graphs or pictures.