50 ways to make your New Year’s resolutions stick in 2020

Take visualisation one step further by actually making a visual representation of your resolution.

A “vision board” can simply be images and phrases made into a collage to inspire you toward your goal.

“Grounding techniques like this help you stay focused and help you visualise your dreams,” Dr. Serani says.

Hang your vision board in your home or office as a reminder to stay on track.

Writing down both your intentions themselves and your experiences along the way can help you achieve success, says entrepreneur and motivational speaker Tony Robbins.

“Write your goals down – not on a computer, but on paper, or in a journal,” Robbins told CNBC.

“There’s something that happens when we write something down.”

Studies have shown journaling can actually make you happier, and a happy mindset is crucial for success.

To truly succeed, your motivation has to come from within, because outside pressure rarely works.

“Think about why you want to make the change – is it important to you, or is it mostly influenced by others, like your doctor, your spouse, or a friend?”

Deborah Tate, MD, an obesity and behavioural researcher at the University of North Carolina, told the US-based National Institutes of Health.

“Research suggests that if it’s something you really want for yourself, if it’s meaningful to you, you’re more likely to stick to it.”

Even if you think you’re self-motivated, make sure you have a good enough reason “why” to stick to your resolution.

“The belief that we ‘should’ do something leads to low-quality motivation,” writes motivational scientist Michelle Segar, PhD, for US News and World Report.

“People who stick to their resolutions dump the should-based ‘whys.’

Instead, they resolve to change their behavior because they truly want to improve areas of their daily life.”

Research backs this up.

So instead of thinking you “should” lose weight, your motivation might be that you want to have more energy to play outside with your kids.

Elizabeth Novogratz says you’ll have more success keeping your resolution if you throw yourself in full-force.

“What is essential in achieving a goal is committing 100 percent – even 99 percent will throw us off the path,” she says.

“Think about an exercise program: Being ‘in’ 99 percent can mean flaking on rainy days or staying in bed if you’re not in the mood.”

The 100 percent rule, developed by author Jack Canfield, says going all in is actually easier because you don’t have to stress about whether you are or aren’t going to stick to it each day, and you won’t waste valuable energy making excuses.

According to Novogratz, this total commitment can actually be freeing.

“There’s nothing left to resist.”

Nothing gets you going like a little healthy competition, so enlist your resolutions buddy or a friend as a sparring partner.

As shown in a University of Pennsylvania study, “friendly competition may increase motivation and increase accountability,” Palinski-Wade says.

“Just make sure if you do this to compete with someone of a similar fitness level so it doesn’t become discouraging rather than motivating.”

And they don’t have to be fitness challenges – you can see who can read the most books in a month or save the most money.

Although it’s fun to compete, don’t focus too much on comparing yourself to others when it comes to achieving goals.

Instead, aim to increase your own personal best. In this way, even if you lose a competition, you may “beat” your personal score, which will keep your motivation up.

“No two people are alike – goals and fitness levels vary,” Palinski-Wade says.

“If you focus on others’ goals and progress, it will sidetrack you from what really matters.”

Talking to yourself is actually a good thing, but choosing how you talk to yourself about your goal can impact your success.

“The key to change has a great deal to do with how we talk to ourselves,” Dr. Serani says.

Words are important in framing your thinking about your resolution, so trying using “want” instead of “have to,” even if you don’t quite feel it just yet.

This might help you fake it till you make it.

You don’t even need to say New Year’s resolutions.

“Simply replace the word ‘resolution’ with a word that is not wrapped in negative emotions,” writes Kelly Rudolph, founder of PositiveWomenRock.com, on Your Tango.

“‘Intention’ is a great alternative – it implies a combination of wanting and expecting, which are both positive and empowering.”

Lifting the expectations and baggage associated with resolutions can leave you mentally free to pursue your goal.

Another mental strategy that has been shown in a meta-analysis to help achieve goals is called “implementation intentions.”

These are “if/then” statements that help you direct your behaviour.

For example, “If I feel myself craving sweets, then I’ll have fruit,” or, “If I’ve watched TV for one hour, then I’ll turn it off.”

This technique can help you formulate exactly what you need to do to keep your resolutions.