Hello , 

Last week I covered the top reasons your goals don't work or your resolutions fail or are starting to slip by February. It's not you, it's the way that you do it.

Here are a few more thoughts to make them work better:

• Overwhelm - trying to do everything all at once when you've already got a lot going on leads to feeling even more overwhelmed, stressed and frustrated.
• Lack of motivation - doing something because you 'should' not because you want to.
• Relying on willpower - willpower is a finite resource, it reduces during the day and over time.
• Perfectionism - getting frustrated or disheartened when it doesn't go according to plan, you make mistakes, slip up or forget.
• Impatience - expecting instant results or comparing your progress to others.
• Competing priorities - too many other things are more or as important.
• Ignoring past patterns - trying to do the same thing over and over again without learning from past experience.
• Underestimating - being wildly optimistic about what you need to do and how much time it's going to take.
• Start at the wrong time - maybe January isn't the right time to start something new. If you're not mentally or physically ready, pick a new, more appropriate or realistic time.
• Mindset - not believing you can do it. Letting the negative voice in your head get the upper hand before you've even started.

And here's what to do - part 2:

Be more realistic. Don't take on too much all at once. Do one thing, make one change until you're comfortable with that before adding in something else. 

Focus on your 'why'. Why is this important to you? What difference will it make to your life, your work, your relationships and what is the benefit to doing it or not doing it, compared with where you are right now?

Give yourself a break. If things aren't going as you want or expect them to, don't beat yourself up. Nothing in life is perfect and sometimes it doesn't need to be. Done is better than perfect.

Prioritise. Focus on what's important. Yes, there are plenty of things you could do but which is the most important, right now. How much time do you really need and what's like to stop you or get in your way?

Know yourself. You know what you're good at and your patterns of behaviour. Learn from what's worked and what hasn't in the past. Take a step back and ask some honest questions if you want to move forward.

Build a routine. Big changes come from small consistent, every day actions that create structure and routine. Track your progress day to day and week by week so you can see how far you've come.

Be positive. Making changes needs a shift in thinking too. Focus on the positives. Be the little engine who could. Calm the negative self-talk.

"If you think you can or you think you can't - you're right."

Come and join me for the next few weeks and let's build a Focused Week with a practical framework to support and strengthen your goals and habits this year.

If you want to talk through your plans and priorities for 2025 and give yourself the best chance of making them work, get in touch and let's have a chat. 

Clare