Sticking to Your New Years Resolutions for 2008

Are you one of those people who sets life changing New Years resolutions at the start of the year, but by February they are pretty much forgotten? Most gyms see a huge spike in users at the start of the year, filled with the "new year wannabe's". Some become so overcrowded that its hard to get a work out in. Most of the regulars will tell you though, "Just stick with it through February, and things will be back to normal." Here's how to make sure your New Year resolutions stick for the whole year.

Set Your Goals

By this time next year, what do you want to be able to say you've accomplished? Whether it's fitness goals, improving your finances, or work and career goals, you should have a clear vision of where you would like to be. Though your goals have to realistic and achievable, that doesn't mean you can't have high aspirations.

Create a Plan

Many people state their resolutions on the New Year, but their goals never go any further than that. Many goals fall flat without a clear plan to accomplish them. Your plan is just the list of steps that need to be taken to complete your goal. Your plan is your To Do list, sorted by priority.

Rather than trying to remember your to do's in your head, you should write them down where you'll see them often. Or you can use tools such as Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Sunbird, or Remember the Milk. These let you make task lists, set deadlines, and get reminders.

Allocate Time

You've got your list of what you need to do, now you have to make time to do them. Many of us already lead busy lives, so you may have to reorganize your schedule for the things you want to accomplish. Marking them on a calendar and setting deadlines are a good way to give priority to our big goals. Set aside blocks of time in your weekly schedule strictly to accomplish your to do list.

Review and Adjust

Another thing to mark on your calendar are regular times to review your goals. These are regular intervals to check on your progress. This can be any period of time your schedule allows, but at least once a week should be minimum. Sometimes you may have to reevaluate your goals or add steps to your plan. At other times you may find your goal was reached much sooner than you expected. Then you can add new, even higher goals! The key is to make sure you are sticking to your goals and continuing to make forward progress.

So by setting goals, planning steps to your goals, setting aside time for your goals, and tracking your progress, you will be able to make your New Year resolutions become a reality. After a few months, instead of just being a dream you haven't come any closer to than you were on January 1st, your resolutions will be in progress or accomplished. How will it feel at the start of 2009 if you can look back and know you accomplished all your goals for the past year? Will you feel empowered for even bigger and better things?