[Flowchart] What New Year’s resolution should you make?

5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Happy New Year from Nulab! The beginning of another year has rolled around again. 2021 proved to be a challenging year for most, but we have high hopes for what we can achieve in 2022. Part of starting your new year off right is setting an attainable New Year’s resolution. We’ll help you choose the right one for you and figure out a plan to make it happen. Let’s get started!

Choose your New Year’s resolution

Using our fun flowchart, answer the questions it poses and trace your path through to the end to find what your best resolution will be for 2022. Don’t like your answer? You can always read through the other options and see if any of them fit what you’re trying to accomplish in the next 365 days. Maybe, it’ll be learning a new language, expanding your music tastes, learning to cook more, being grateful for the things in your life, or budgeting so you can achieve more goals in 2022 or 2023.

Why New Year’s resolutions fail

Now that you’ve got a goal in mind, let’s figure out how to make it a reality.

We all know the stereotype. Everyone and their mother resolve to get in shape, but the gyms are all empty again by February. According to studies, upwards of 80% of all New Year’s resolutions fail. Finding out why we fail and making a plan to overcome these hurdles will keep us all on the path to resolution success this year.

1. Setting overly ambitious goals

It’s easy to say that you want to lose 50 pounds this year, but when you look at the scale every day for two weeks and see little progress, you’re likely to get discouraged. Viewing goals as one end result instead of a journey of achievement is one of the biggest reasons we tend to fail.

Imagine that, instead, you set a goal to lose at least 3 to 5 pounds per month. All of a sudden, that impossible 50-pound goal is completely doable! The difference is that you aren’t constantly holding yourself accountable for your end goal (or feeling disappointed when you don’t measure up).

You could even try creating a New Year’s resolution template or chart to track your progress toward your goal. That way, it serves as a reminder that you’re moving forward every day.

2. You have to want the change

So often, we make goals that we’d like to achieve but have no actual dedication to follow through. When making a resolution, ask yourself whether it’s a goal you’re actually interested in accomplishing. If the answer is “yes,” but you don’t feel prepared to take such a big leap, try scaling down the goal for now. Instead of losing 50 pounds, maybe aim for 30 or 20 pounds. Or set a related goal that will help you achieve the main one, such as running three days a week.

If you really want to stick to your original goal but aren’t sure if you can fully dedicate yourself, look for ways to add inspiration to your daily routine. Find a role model, accountability buddy, or mentor, or do something as simple as displaying New Year’s resolutions quotes to keep you inspired all year long.

3. Be accountable

Be accountable to yourself, and add your friends and family into the mix. Let them know about your goal and your plans throughout the year. Ask them to check up on you or even to help you make good choices when you’re around each other. They can remind you to choose the healthier option, stay off your phone, or recommend new music to you.

Involving someone else offers the added bonus of having someone to celebrate your successes with. Your loved ones will be just as happy as you when you put your mind to something and achieve it!

How to stick to your resolutions this year

Winging it is a surefire way to watch your New Year’s resolutions fizzle out. While you don’t want to put too much pressure on yourself, failure is inevitable if you don’t put genuine thought into how you plan to achieve your goals. The answer? Create a strategy that suits your lifestyle and personality.

Identify obstacles (and address them)

Think about everyday habits or obligations in your life that will make it difficult to follow through on your New Year’s resolution. Do you have limited time in your schedule? Are you bad at staying organized or remembering things?

Make a plan to minimize the two or three biggest obstacles in your way. For example, using an app or planner to record your activities is an excellent way to overcome poor organization.

Consider your strengths

Many people think of New Year’s resolutions as a way to fix their weaknesses, but it’s often more beneficial to build upon your existing strengths. Make a list of things you’re good at, and then think about how you can improve those skills or apply them to a new activity. You’re more likely to stick to a resolution if you enjoy the journey.

Design your own performance metrics

Personal progress is subjective, and therefore, you’re free to define the parameters of success. Two people can have the same goal, but they may measure their progress very differently.

With that in mind, think about how you want to grow as you pursue your goal. If your resolution is weight loss, for instance, relevant metrics might include stamina, strength, or balance. You can gauge your progress by how long or comfortably you can perform specific exercises.

Just be sure to choose metrics you can reasonably measure and stay consistent in your tracking method. Staying motivated is easier when you’re celebrating small milestones the entire time, instead of taking the long view of your progress.

Get visual

If you’re the kind of person who responds to data and visuals, surround yourself with physical proof that you’re on the right track. Depending on the type of New Year’s resolution you’re pursuing, it’s a good idea to use diagrams like Gantt charts, calendars, flowcharts, and retrospectives to document your experience. Sometimes, you won’t even realize how much progress you’ve made until the data is laid out right in front of you.

Final thoughts

No matter what your New Year’s resolution is for 2022, the first step toward achieving it is to define your goal. Now that you have the goal and the plan, we know that you can do it!

Cacoo is a great tool you can use both personally and professionally to visualize your goals and track your progress. Set up your plan using one of Cacoo’s templates or by creating your own chart in our whiteboard space. It’s also perfect for your team to use at work for all of your simple diagramming and layout needs. Get started creating something professional or just for fun using Cacoo.

Start your free trial today! 

 

This post was originally published on January 7, 2021, and updated most recently on December 31, 2021.