It's a week into the New Year and chances are you've already slipped a little on the resolutions you were so enthusiastic about after a few drinks on December 31.
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But don't be disheartened. The number of people who actually stick to their resolutions is anywhere between a mere 8 per cent to just over half depending on what survey you believe, so you're in good company.
Luckily, it isn't necessary to wait another year before you start making a move on your resolution again, but unless you have a plan, you're not going to make any new progress.
Balgownie wellness coach Orietta Worthington says unless you have mapped out your goals for each day, each week and each month, the chances of your resolution falling to the wayside are high.
"The plan is what's missing for people. They don't often sit down and take the time to plan it through," she says.
While it is all well and good to make statements such as "I'll lose 15 kilos this year" or "I want to change jobs", these are too vague and need to be broken down into a checklist of smaller tasks.
"It's almost wishful thinking, but without the planning and the commitment it's not going to happen, it's just going to stay in a person's head," Worthington says.
Goals need to be measurable, set for a certain time frame and realistic - a point where many people fall down.
For example, working out how much weight you need to drop each week to reach your goal weight in three months means you have smaller, achievable targets that will add up to your ultimate goal. This will help stop you feeling disappointed and giving up when the kilos don't fall off quickly.
Writing down your resolutions and the steps you are going to take to achieve them and putting them somewhere you will see every day, such as on the refrigerator or in a diary, will give you extra motivation.
"It just makes it more concrete," Worthington says.
Ensuring you have support from those around you will make it easier to reach your goals, whether you visit a dietitian, financial planner or just have people in your life that want to help you achieve your resolution.
Reviewing your goals and the progress you are making towards them each week will help you get back on track if you have lapsed in your efforts - an especially important task if you find yourself setting the same resolution year after year.
"Getting back on track, people will often put that off as well, so that's where that planning is pivotal to the success of achieving their New Year's resolution," Worthington says.
While it might seem difficult to break down your lofty pursuits into what you can do day by day, it makes you more likely to achieve the ultimate resolution because you will have formed good habits over the weeks you work towards it.
"Change is easy to make. Maintenance is where it gets harder," Worthington says.
"People will often start out changing their diet and do that for the week, and by the following week it's no longer happening because they don't maintain it."
"That's where planning and looking at goals rather than just the solution is a greater formula for success."