New Year resolutions: they are easy to make, but often doomed to failure, which comes as no surprise to Queensland University of Technology psychologist Professor David Kavanagh.
Professor Kavanagh, from the School of Psychology and Counselling, said if you were serious about changing your behaviour, there were steps you could take to make sure the changes lasted more than a day or two.
"People often make New Year resolutions in a vacuum," Professor Kavanagh said.
"You are on holiday, and you think you can turn your life around.
"But then you get back into your normal life, and find that it's a lot harder than you think to convert that resolution into action."
Professor Kavanagh said changing behaviour is easy to start, but hard to continue.
"Gyms make a lot of money out of this," he said.
However, Professor Kavanagh said there were steps you can take to maximise your chances.
Ten tips for sticking to your New Year resolution:
1. Think about why you'd like to make the change. What don't you like about how things are? What will get better once you make that change? Write the answers down and put the list in your wallet or purse.
2. Consider whether there will be any downside to making the change. How can you minimise the downside?
3. Make the resolution as specific as you can. What will you do? When? What preparations do you need to get started?
4. Think about times when it might be hard to keep on track. How can you beat those challenges?
5. Check over your resolution again. Is there anything you need to change, so you are more likely to keep going?
6. Think about changes you have made in the past—how did you do it? Might those ideas work this time as well?
7. Have a plan to get back on track if you lapse back into the old behaviour. Your resolution is a bit like going on a high wire - you'll try to stay on the wire, but a net might be a good idea!
8. Notice what does get better when you have made the change. Write them on your list.
9. When you are tempted to stop, think about why you started this change. Read over the list you made. Imagine how it will be if you keep going—make it as vivid as you can. Think how good you will feel if you stay on track.
10. If you do slip back, work out how to get back on track. Read over your plan. Then go back through the steps to make a change and think about why you want to change. People often trip up when they face their first challenging situation or find keeping their resolution is harder than they expected. Is there a way you could keep going if that problem situation happened again? Think about what you achieved this time around. This is just a blip on the way to making that change a lasting one.
Media contact: Rachael Wilson, QUT media officer, 07 3138 1150 or rachael.wilson@qut.edu.au.
**High res image of Professor David Kavanagh available for media use
