How do you stick to New Year's resolutions?
Quit smoking, drink less, go to the gym more, attend all my classes … Nearly all students have made them again this year: New Year’s resolutions – a popular way to kick-start the new year. So it’s no surprise that all over the world people are promising to change or improve certain things this year. Unfortunately, and this is all too familiar for many of us: one month in, and you’ve forgotten all your good intentions … That’s why the Faculty student workgroup on well-being has put together some tips to help you stick to your New Year’s resolutions this year!
Why New Year’s resolutions never (or hardly ever) work.
Three weeks ago, you were no doubt thinking about what you’d like to achieve, change or improve in the new year. But what does that mean exactly? Good intentions are nothing more than just developing new habits. And these new habits have to be learned, because our brain prefers to take the easy route and stick to our old habits. Many people also often make the mistake of wanting to adopt a totally new lifestyle in the new year. They set out expecting too much of themselves, and then fail before they’ve even got very far. What’s more, many people often start on 1 January which isn’t a good time as you’re often still recovering from all the New Year’s parties. So you feel bad straight away on the first day of the new year because you’re crashed on the sofa instead of studying or going for a run.
So how to stick to your New Year’s resolutions?
Before you can change habits, it’s good to take time to consider what habits actually are: actions frequently performed without thinking. Every time in your daily life you perform a habit, your brain does what is called a ‘habit loop’. So, to make sure you learn a new habit, you have to learn and go through the three steps of the habit loop: (1) cue; (2) routine; and (3) reward.
1. Cue
First, it’s important to decide what your cue is to trigger your new habit. This can be anything. For example, a certain time, location, other people or an existing habit. Perhaps you can tell yourself every morning at 10.00 am (cue), ‘it’s time for a quick walk’. Of perhaps after you’ve had breakfast (cue), ‘it’s time to go and study at the KOG for at least three blocks of 50-min’.
2. Routine
In step two, you tell your subconscious mind what you’re going to do. Take, for instance, the habit of going out for a walk. Every time you go out, you put on your walking boots, put in your earphones to listen to a podcast, and send a message to your housemate to say you’re off out. In this way, you train your subconscious mind to get accustomed to your new habit and the routine that goes with it.
3. Reward
Finally, in the third step it’s important that a reward is linked to your new habit. Take time to consider your mindset after you’ve been out for a walk, or how it had gone with your studies. After being out for a walk, you’re no doubt thinking clearer and that will also be rewarding for you in the long term. It’s important that you consciously pay attention to this, so that the value of your new habit becomes tangible for you. As a result, you’ll keep to the rhythm of your new habit and therefore stick to your New Year’s resolutions for longer.
Do's and don'ts
To found off, a few tips to help you stick to your new habits. First of all, just take small steps. By starting small, you’ll lower the threshold to succeed and make it easier for yourself to get into the habit loop. So don’t force yourself to go to the gym five times a week, but increase the frequency slowly. It can also help if you replace ‘bad’ habits with ‘good’ ones. For instance, if you notice that you often cancel a tutorial one hour beforehand, make a (realistic) planning every Sunday evening for that week.
And finally, don’t be too hard on yourself. A new year is a good time for new beginnings – but it’s also a good time to take better care of yourself, and be kinder to yourself.
Find out more?
Would you like to find out more about this habit loop? Read about it in the book by James Clear, ‘Atomic Habits’.
Do you have any questions about this article or about other topics related to student well-being? Contact the Faculty Student workgroup Diversity & Inclusion + Student well-being.