Unroll.Me’s Guide to Avoiding New Year’s Resolution Nightmares
By: Unroll Me
Tags: Productivity, Unroll Me, Goals, New Years Resolutions

New Year’s resolutions have the propensity for eliciting a collective “sigh”, swiftly identifying the universal complexity that while resolutions are fantastic tools for spearheading goals, they can also become vastly disappointing ventures that inevitably end in frustration. Setting out with the best of intentions, we regularly make bold declarations throughout the month of December, only to throw in the towel by March of the following year, vowing to never partake in the timeless tradition of creating New Year’s resolutions ever again. Much like achieving any other goal, the road to sticking to resolutions can often be difficult, require consistent motivation, and perhaps eventual tweaking of the initial goals. However, with a few simple considerations, you can avoid the pitfalls, nightmares, and potential downfalls often associated with resolutions. After all, a new year signifies another opportunity to get it right!

Mistake 1: Creating Unrealistic Goals

While the seemingly innocent goal of “getting into better physical shape” may appear innocuous enough, it is too vague to ever truly be achievable, and too open-ended to avoid becoming unrealistic. In either direction, opportunity exists for continued disappointment, frustration, and the inevitable desire to forgo the journey altogether. Thus, by focusing on tangible, relatively realistic goals, you can avoid the pitfalls of creating unrealistic goals, or goals without tangible milestones. In the case of fitness enthusiasts, perhaps this goal can equate to starting a particular exercise regimen, or committing to exercising four days per week, rather than unrealistically hoping to shed unrealistic amounts of weight throughout a short span of time, or gaining a celebrity’s physique.

Similarly, this concept expands further than the confines of health and wellness related resolutions. In all areas of self-betterment and improvement, creating realistic and attainable goals is crucial toward starting off on the path to goals that can feel appropriately at the end of the finish line, rather than a merely hopeful mirage. In the same vein, creating goals with a tangible finish line, value, or other discernible marker, with various milestones to be celebrated along the way, will prevent the resolution from being a chase into the future without a dangling carrot.

Mistake 2: Not Implementing Aide

While motivation and commitment certainly must come from within, utilizing the assistance of various tools renders resolutions much more manageable, streamlined, and accessible. From utilizing organizational tools, calendars, and to-do lists to maintain streamlined organization and focus, to using apps and tech developments to track progress, organize thoughts, and streamline processes, there are vast bounties of resolution-helpers ready to assist in every arena.

Where organization and decluttering is key, Unroll.Me can be a pivotal tool to spearheading success. By allowing you to get rid of unwanted email subscriptions, many of which could be detrimental to achieving financial, health, and wellness related goals, we give you the power to create an email solution most conducive to your unique needs. After eliminating unwanted email subscriptions, we offer users the ability to keep important emails within their traditional inbox, and select other emails conducive to overall success of resolutions to be delivered in an aesthetically beautiful bespoke digest, called The RollUp. Delivered once daily, within the confines of the most productive time period, the daily RollUp provides a calming, organized, and effective inbox browsing experience that is perfect for garnering the collateral and content needed to effectively pursue resolutions.

With countless apps and tech resources available to benefit you in every facet of the resolution process, implementing tech as an aide is a thoroughly modern way of minimizing the negative effects of attempting large scale goals without any assistance. Not only will these aides provide useful services, and harness the benefits of organization, they will allow you to feel “on top” of your resolutions, with constant tracking, access to view progress, and tangible tips and tricks for betterment.

Mistake 3: Giving Up Too Early

While resolutions, or any other life goals, may not always be easy, one of the biggest mistakes is throwing in the towel prematurely. When faced with adversity, or feelings of defeat, it sometimes may feel easier to quit, even if the easier portion of the proverbial climb is just up ahead. For many people, resolutions require commitment, dedication, and allotment of precious time toward the achievement of specific goals, and the garnering of tangible results. Thus, without seeing these results manifested throughout an expected time frame, as is often the case with fitness goals, people may become disenchanted, and feel like they’ll never see results, creating a strong argument for quitting their efforts. However, giving up too early on resolutions is the only surefire way to eliminate the potential of success.

Through the development of daily goals and tasks, you can recognize small movements in the right direction, rendering quitting an option no longer viable. By giving weight to even the smallest movements forward, you can recognize the benefits of continued activity, and be less likely to quit prematurely. Through self-talk and actualization, you can also work to recognize that lifestyle changes, financial changes, and many other goals generate results on a steady, but long-term timeline. Thus, by creating realistic expectations, the desire to quit may diminish.

Mistake 4: Going At It Alone

Humans are social creatures by nature, and experience many similar feelings, thoughts, and anxieties, regardless of age, location, or experience. Thus, not relying on a supportive community, and choosing to internalize goals, may be sabotaging success. By eliminating feelings of isolation, and garnering a positive support system, you can harness the communal power of positive thinking, and benefit from the encouragement, camaraderie, and compassion of others. For those seeking somewhat anonymous encouragement, various apps and websites provide users with the ability to share goals, resolutions, and progress with each other, setting incentives and goals for like-minded users. From fitness trackers that inspire the spirit of community through giving digital thumbs up to fellow individuals for completing fitness regimens, to online message boards lending honest feedback regarding savings methods, there are a slew of online communities that instill the value of communal goal sharing, and empowerment.

With these top potential pitfalls related to New Year’s resolutions identified, there is hope in working to overcome the most common mistakes! By following a few tips to overcome traditional pitfalls, you can maintain the motivation, drive, and commitment needed to turn potential resolution nightmares into successful endeavor