How to Keep Achieving Your Goals Beyond January

Okay, guys and gals. Today is the last day of January. That means a lot of month-long New Year’s challenges are ending, and resolutions and goals will start to be abandoned and forgotten. Don’t let it happen! You have to shift your mindset. Instead of thinking, “phew, that’s over,” whether you were doing Whole 30 or a fitness challenge, approach February with the same fervor and dedication with which you entered 2019. Maybe you never even got started on your New Year’s goals, and that’s okay, too. There’s always time for a fresh start. But you are the only person that can make it happen! Here’s a few tools to practice self-disclipine in the coming months:

Set specific times to complete steps

A to-do list with no time frame can sit there forever. You need to schedule time to work towards a goal. Find a free hour or two however often as you need, and put it in your calendar. Pick a task to complete within that time frame. Make it bite-sized and doable so that you are less likely to put it off.

Prioritize your time

The time you set aside to work towards your goal – whether it is spent exercising, taking an online class, or writing another chapter of your book – should be treated with the same significance as a job interview, a work meeting, or a doctor’s appointment. Consider it a nonnegotiable. If this goal is really important to you, friends and family will understand if you need to put off a little time with them to accomplish it.

Give yourself a reward

First, it helps to think, “I did it! I’m proud of myself.” Positive self-talk will encourage you to keep it up. Next, give yourself a tangible reward. Maybe it’s a bite of chocolate, an episode of a TV show you love, or a hot bath. Rewarding yourself for accomplishing a task is key to making the work a habit.

Eliminate distractions

Can’t stop checking Instagram or responding to text messages? Put that phone away! Keep eating chips when you really want to stop consuming junk? Don’t buy the chips! You have to be responsible for dedicating your time to that thing you want. No one is going to make you achieve your goals, except you. Get in the zone by saying goodbye to temptations.

Take care of your body and mind

None of this can happen if you aren’t physically and mentally well. And this is the part that can be so hard, but you have to take care of this first. Get that 8 hours of sleep per night. Meditate before bedtime. Eat your veggies. Go for a walk after work and get your heart rate up. Your self-care should come first, so take care of that, and you’ll be able to make the rest happen. I believe in you.

What do you think? Are you ready to keep achieving your goals in 2019? We’ve got this, my friends.

Love, Bee

P.S. Simple pleasures for a winter day at home, little ways that I’m savoring winter, a January refresh, and little resolutions to savor each day of 2019.