Why You Should Kickstart Your Resolutions Before the New Year

In a world where we jump from one holiday to the next (sometimes even before the previous holiday is over), it can definitely be daunting to focus on your resolutions before the new year even starts. But, this is the one tradition I believe we should start early. How early? Start them whenever you’re ready—there’s no wrong time! In an effort to get ahead—and potentially use some of the magic numerologist’s place on the occurrence of 11/11—I started mine on November 11th this year. I’m not really sure if that has any validity, but I’ll try anything in the name of personal growth. I started by writing everything down in my phone on a goal-setting app. Hey, if I don’t put it in writing, it’s not happening. So far, I am happy to report there has been small but measurable progress. I’m hopeful and confident going into 2020 with a small amount of progress towards what I want to accomplish in the New Year. Plus, it’ll help ensure that I don’t give up and that I’ll reach them with less resistance than I would have had I waited. Read on for a few other benefits I have found from getting a headstart on your New Year’s resolutions.

Practice Makes Perfect

I personally love that getting a head start on making positive changes will give you a little grace period to put those goals into practice. One of my goals is to drink more water so I got myself a new water bottle (a huge one!) and have been adjusting to the practice of bringing it everywhere with me. I’m not quite where I want to be with intake, but have increased it with the new bottle! It’s all about giving yourself grace when it comes to implementing new habits.

Take the Pressure Off

Starting early will take some of the pressure off of you in the New Year! None of us need added pressure, am I right? Getting a head start will help you reach your goals and allow you extra time to experiment with the ways that work best for you to implement new habits.

Room for Growth

Many of us start with more than one resolution—which is a great thing—but starting earlier might mean you have time to conquer even more! If you realize you’re effectively acting on your resolutions, add a few more in that you had on your goals list. Adding them in small batches will feel much less overwhelming than trying to accomplish them all at once. Remember, habits take time to kick in. Don’t get frustrated if you’re not seeing immediate results!

There’s No Time Like the Present

Remember how I talked about reaching goals with less resistance? Just about every time we try to make a change, the ego, the ID, the fact that many bad habits are simply habitual will make us resist that change. Starting early gives you time to push through the resistance period and have a plan ready for overcoming any struggles that may arise.

No matter when you start, reaching any goal takes intention, hard work, and a plan. Remember to make SMART goals: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound. Write them down somewhere you can revisit whenever you need to and consider sharing them with someone you trust so you can have some help with accountability. Happy New Year!