Psychology: Why you should implement your New Year’s resolutions now

“Next year I will …”
Why you should implement your New Year’s resolutions now

“New Year New luck!” When have we heard this saying before? “Well, what are your resolutions for the new year?” – and how many times have we already answered this question? Every year we take on the most diverse things for the new year, most the extra has collected, but we know: Almost half of those surveyed would like to eat healthier (49 percent), exercise more (48 percent) or save more money (46 percent). Goals such as losing weight, quitting smoking or having less stress in the office are also popular.

Good resolutions are not tied to a specific date.

Certainly, asking about your own New Year’s resolutions can also help you to go into yourself and reflect on the past year: What went well, what do I really want to keep? And of course also: What could be improved and which habits should I train better? This can help us reflect on who we are in the present and how they have evolved (hopefully for the better) over the past year.

But resolutions should not be linked to a specific date. We have summarized why you should put your resolutions into action now.

1. The year has four quarters – why wait until the end to start your reflection?

For many people, the new year is a good time to think about themselves – which is certainly logical and fits in with our calendar. The 1.1. – what better date is there for a reboot? We are free to choose any point in time when we do things differently. A new week starts on Monday – so why not do more sport on Monday or set clear boundaries at work? Why not just say: “Today was kind of crap. But tomorrow I’ll do it differently!” Or maybe even: “From now I do it differently.”

In short: We are not dependent on external factors, we do not have to wait for certain points in time to change our lives for the better. Every month, every week, every day, every hour and every second can be the turning point for us!

2. Your intentions are the key, not the deadline from which you implement them

A popular New Year’s resolution is to do things that we know aren’t good for us, such as smoking, drinking alcohol, or working so hard that we regularly push ourselves to the limit. It helps to go within and ask yourself: Which version of me would I most like to have?

“I want to be happier next year!” – not a particularly purposeful intention

Try to set yourself simple goals to start with that are as specific, measurable, realistic, and time-limited as possible. So not: “I want to be a happy, successful person from January!” Or even: “I want less stress in the office!” It is more effective to have a clear definition of “happiness”, “success” or “stress” for you.

When it comes to work, for example, this could be: “I will avoid any overtime for a week!” It’s specific because it’s about a specific area of ​​your life, which is work. It’s measurable because you know how many hours you’re contracted for, realistic because you often have more control over your hours than you might realize, and time-limited because it’s a week at first.

3. New Year’s resolutions often fail

Anyone who only starts to deal with good resolutions in the new year is likely to fail because as studies show. That is understandable, after all it is often the case that people make no attempt to address their wishes/changes and suddenly want to make a 180 degree turnaround on January 1st – It is hardly surprising that this is doomed to fail.

The week before Christmas, you’ve eaten all the delicacies on earth – a week later, all of a sudden there’s only salad? That can only demotivate! So instead of drawing a hard line, why not approach the positive changes with care. With small steps, realistic and clearly defined goals (as explained in point 1) and a self-determined date (as explained in point 1) that is not dependent on the turn of the year.

Sources used: womanmagazine.co.nz, forbes.com, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.gov, de.statista.com

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