A Neuroscientific Approach to Setting Sustainable & Attainable New Year Resolutions by Dr Caroline Leaf
Then, for the next 42-days, you need to continue to consciously practice using the new thought, which allows a useful habit to form. This means that we can all realistically achieve 5 to 6 major goals or resolutions each year! Just do the math: 365days - 63day cycle = 5.8 goals achieved! Can you imagine making 6 major changes to your life each year? The transformation would be incredible! To begin, start with 1 or 2 specific goals and break them into 9-week segments that you can start working on now and then add the others after. Different studies indicate that new year’s resolutions tend to fail because they are often quite overarching and not specific enough. Consequently, our motivation tends to wane as we see all the days stretch out ahead of us. Instead, try setting increments of tasks every 7-days to achieve a specific goal by the end of the 9-weeks. For example, you may wish to be more adventurous. This is the big picture goal. Now, you can break that down and say something like, “Each month I will think of something new that I want to do that will fulfill my needs in that moment and make me feel like I am adventurous.” This will help you focus on the present moment while keeping your bigger goal in mind. 3. Practice daily mind management and self-regulation to achieve your overall goal. Make sure you stay focused on what you want to change each day by building your goal into your mind, brain, and body in little bits each day. To do this, I recommend using the mind management technique I have researched, developed, and applied clinically over the past three decades: the Neurocycle. This helps to deal with the root of toxic cycles in your life and reconceptualize them and how they impact your wellbeing.
It is done in 5 steps: Step 1: Gather awareness of what you are feeling emotionally and physically as you work on a negative cycle/habit in your life. Step 2: Reflect on how this is impacting you and why—be as specific as possible. Step 3: Write this down—this is way to help organize your thinking and gain clarity. Step 4: Recheck what you have written. Look for patterns in your life, your relationships, your responses, your attitudes and so on. What is the antidote? What do you want to change and how? Step 5: Take action. I call this step an “active reach”. It is essentially an action you take to reinforce the new, reconceptualized pattern of thinking you want in your life (which is replacing the old, toxic habit). 4. Set a time for when you are going to build this goal into your life, and pick a theme for the year. This could be any word, idea, or concept that speaks to you. For example, my theme last year (which I am going to use this year again) was to have a possibilities mindset, and my mantra is that every failure is knowledge gained—when something doesn’t work out, this is a possibility to grow, because now I know something doesn’t work, and I am one step closer to achieving my goals! As you face the start of a new year, give yourself space, compassion and grace to achieve your goals. Don’t rush the process—take things moment by moment. Remember to enjoy life while trying to achieve your goals. Don’t try to sprint through the marathon! Pace yourself, and you will be able to finish. You got this! For more on New Year’s resolutions, listen to Dr Caroline Leaf’s podcast at drleaf.com You can also purchase her latest book Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess download her app Neurocycle on android and ios.
