A new year is a time of fresh starts, big goals, and hopeful anticipation. Harnessing the excitement and determination we feel in a new calendar year can spur us forward into new adventures as we declare our ambitious New Year’s resolutions and get to work.
But what if your goals aren’t new? What if you’ve already been in the trenches, doing the work to move forward by the time January 1st rolls around?
Long-term goals can be tricky to manage. Staying committed over a long period of time and maintaining your energy and focus is no easy task.
But even if you’re still trudging along with your goals from last year or even the year before, you can take advantage of the new year to inject some newness into them — to capture that new year, fresh start feeling as much as possible.
Try these three tips to help you stay inspired and energized to push forward with your goals, despite the long road you’ve already traveled:
1. Get Into the Best Possible Mental, Physical, and Emotional Space
While this is true for working towards any goal, new or otherwise, it’s especially true for one that you have been working towards for a long period of time. The setbacks and defeats that come with a long-term goal can wear you down. To have the tenacity to keep going despite them, you need to position yourself as best you can mentally, physically, and emotionally.
My new New Year’s Day strategy is to no longer worry about a powerhouse to-do list to kick my goals into action. Instead, I spend the entire day just doing things that I love. At the end of the day, I feel happy, cozy, content, and inspired. This renewed sense of enthusiasm and peace will help me jump back into the ring without feeling weighed down from the past year.
2. Mix Up the Routine
Even though your goals may be the same heading into the new year, the routines around them don’t have to be. Try doing things in a different way or order, just to see how it feels.
Used to working out in the evening? Try switching it up to the morning. Used to working out alone? Try inviting a friend. You can also experiment with home vs. gym workouts. No matter what the goal is, there are ways to mix it up.
It may take a little time to figure out if a new routine will work better for you, but it can add a fresh spin to the same tasks you may have already been doing for months.
3. Use New Materials/Systems
As small as it may seem, having a new planner, journal, pens, or decor in your workspace can liven up an older task. Fresh journal pages, especially, can help to establish new ideas and a fresh approach to a project or goal that may have caused frustration in the past. Notes from last year can serve as a powerful reflection tool, and this year’s notes can pave the way forward. Even something as simple as reorganizing files and folders on your computer can help you feel better equipped to tackle the systems you need to continue making progress.
Those of us working on the same goals this year have a unique opportunity to reflect and learn from all the experiences we’ve already had while creating that same sense of newness that New Year’s resolutions come with. Take advantage of this knockout combo to kickstart your (old) New Year’s goals!