First and GoalHow to make your resolutions a reality
It’s an all-too-familiar scenario for many of us. The year begins with optimism and resolve, but those New Year’s resolutions are usually all but forgotten by February. Why do we fall short time after time?
Brian Nosek
Cover photo by Stephanie Gross |
U.Va. assistant professor of psychology Brian Nosek, whose research focuses on the subconscious roots of thinking and feeling, provides some tips on how to better your chances of sticking to your resolutions this year.
Why do we so often fail in keeping New Year's resolutions?
Nosek: A big reason is that we don’t ask ourselves the right questions when setting resolutions. With every resolution, we should be able to answer two questions: "What do I need to do to achieve it?" and "How will I know when I have achieved it?" If those questions can’t be answered, it is unlikely that the resolution will be achieved.
What role does our unconscious play in our aspirations?
Nosek: Our minds spend a lot of time figuring out how to do things without thinking. Learning to ride a bicycle without having to think about balancing and pedaling lets you spend your riding time thinking about something else. With mental automation we can do multiple things at once. The dark side of automation is that once a behavior is automatic, it is hard to stop doing it. Habits can become so routine that it somehow feels wrong not to do them, even if you know otherwise. If the goal is to exercise after dinner instead of the usual routine of curling up on the couch to watch American Idol, then achieving the goal requires both initiating a new routine and unlearning the old one. Minds are addicted to habits.
What are the keys to effective goal-setting?
Nosek: First, make abstract goals concrete. For example, let’s say my main goal for 2008 is to become very powerful. However, this goal is too abstract. It will be hard to know what to do to achieve it, and hard to know when I have achieved it. So, I can change it to a concrete goal: "become president of U.Va." Now, I can know when I have achieved it.
Second, break big goals into subgoals. I don’t know how to become president, so I need to define subgoals that will identify tasks and mark progress: (1) depose President Casteen, (2) infect the Board of Visitors with some kind of viral agent that makes me seem competent, qualified and presidential, and (3) buy a suit. With subgoals defined, I have a better idea of what I need to do and am already feeling like the presidency is mine.
Third, define implementation intentions for your goals. "Exercise more" is a goal, but it is abstract and does not provide guidance on when or how you will do it. Instead, "Run for 20 minutes before work on Monday, Wednesday and Friday" defines the goal concretely, provides a plan for implementing it and it will be very clear whether you are or are not meeting it.
How can motivation be sustained?
Nosek: Many New Year’s resolutions are "big" goals: get healthy, fix my work-life balance, become a superhero. Making them concrete, defining subgoals and clarifying implementation plans will help achieve them, but there are additional strategies to assist with motivation. With big goals especially, identify subgoals that provide reinforcement along the way. "Lose 20 pounds this year" is challenging and it will take a long time to meet it. So, "Lose two pounds in January" is achievable and sustains motivation.
Also, track progress: Keep a diary of the exercise routine, count the number of hours spent at work each week, record each villain that you bring to justice. Tracking progress will provide incentives when you are making progress and quickly identify when you are not.
Finally, decide if your goal is aspirational or realistic. Aspirational goals are unlikely to be met but can serve as general motivators. Realistic goals might be easier to meet, but failing to meet them can be particularly frustrating. Aspirational goals might be fine if it is for something which you are highly motivated about anyway. Realistic goals might be better for things that are harder to get excited about or require a real change in automatic habits.
New Year's resolutions around Grounds
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