Top of Mind: 6 Ways to Stick to Your New Year’s Resolutions All Year Long
Take small, consistent steps toward your goals.
I don’t us
ually make resolutions. I feel like resolutions can set you up to fail and are often about what you are not going to do, or what you are going to stay away from. I do best if I am working toward something, so I’m a fan of setting goals and focusing on the way they will impact the bigger picture. I break the goals into smaller parts and then start knocking things off the list.
—Elisabeth Vezzani, CEO, co-founder, Sugarwish
I maintain my resolutions by knowing that I’ll continue to gain experience, both from my successes and my failures. What I learn in the process will ultimately give me insight and confidence to tackle the next challenge.
—Kyle Wong, CEO, co-founder, Pixlee
I categorize my resolutions (e.g., personal, health, social, career) and create separate quarterly metrics against each of them. Similar to how a business creates an annual strategic plan, I create a personal strategic plan. First I pick reasonable stretch goals that I know I can achieve. Next I evaluate how I’m performing against my resolution metrics on a monthly and quarterly basis. Finally I adjust my actions to ensure that I hit those annual resolutions.
—Adelyn Zhou, CEO, founder, Alight Labs
Disappointment is the emotion I most dislike, and I certainly hate disappointing myself. So I keep a ledger of my progress toward my resolutions and a monthly self-check in to make sure I’m on track.
—Calvin Sims, president, CEO, International House
I remind myself every day about the goals I want to achieve, and set the bar very high.
—Kate Hancock, president, OC Facial Care Center
I read my goal card every day. I also have a small circle of very positive, inspiring, demanding, world-class people, that I am grateful to meet regularly.
—Jan Ryde, owner, CEO, Hästens
Related: 5 Strategies for Making Your New Year’s Resolutions Work
This article originally appeared in the January 2017 issue of SUCCESS magazine.
