3 Keys to Keep Your Resolutions and Live The Life You Want (Part 3/3 of Create & Keep New Year Resolutions)

The one word that can change your life: habit. Our habits form our days, which turn into months, years and eventually our lives. So, really, to implement our resolutions and live life the way we want to, we should start by creating new habits. In this post there are 3 key steps you can take to turn your resolutions into daily habits.

Let's get into it!

Part 3: Implement

1. Monthly Goals

Remember the Vision Boards we made in Part 2? Get it somewhere accessible, either digitally or physically, because we will use it. At the beginning of every month, spend 5 minutes to write down goals you want to achieve for the month. Write your professional goals (such as deadlines, new projects etc), and get 2-3 items from your Vision Board to implement this month. This is how my Jan 2020 Monthly Goal looks like:

Notice that I put a picture from my Vision Board onto my Monthly Goal, to keep me excited!

2. Weekly Rewards

Do you remember in high school biology we learnt what is called 'classical conditioning' through an experiment that involves a dog, a bell and a treat? Classical conditioning teaches us that when we associate certain behavior with reward, we are subconsciously conditioned to feel more positively about the behavior. So this is what we are trying to do here, we will set aside some time - weekly (maybe on the weekends when you are on working) - to reward yourself for working hard, for sticking to your resolutions.

Rewards can be anything that makes you feel good and loved. For me, a reward is a trip to a nail salon, a lazy afternoon reading my favorite book in a cafe, or a weekend getaway to a beach. Whatever it is, no matter big or small, have a short list of it and schedule it weekly. My Weekly Rewards are marked with heart signs:

3. Daily Calendar

Now let's nail down the final details for daily implementation of our vision. You can go to your calendar (in your notebook or digital calendar, both are great!), and you fill in elements of your vision board IN ADVANCE. Means you book those time slots before any ad-hoc event or invitation pops up. It is important to book those earlier so you know you're not free, you have something else to do at that time - which is living your dreams.

First you book your working/class hours, put your work deadlines and goals in. Then, book your calendar with elements from your Vision Board. For me, this means I book yoga 3x a week, cooking session 2x a week. Now schedule your Weekly Rewards (I schedule all my rewards in weekends and holidays). This is how my Daily Calendar looks like for Jan 2020:

What are you waiting for? Start creating your Monthly Goals, Weekly Rewards and Daily Habits - now! Leave me a comment or email me at michelle@miscato.com to talk about your experience in implementing resolutions, or how you go about your daily habits. Comments, suggestions are all welcome.

For a fruitful 2020 where all your dreams come true.

About the Author

Hi! I'm Michelle, founder of Miscato Limited (Aromeo Diffuser), a wellness technology company. I'm from Indonesia and currently living in Hong Kong. Contact me any time for topics related to wellness, personal care and mental health. I'm always interested to exchange ideas and meet new people :)