How To Make Your New Year Resolutions Stick in 2016 With These 4 Weird Tricks

While New Year's resolutions can inspire positive new change in your life, the fact is most fail.

According to a finder.com.au New Years’ Resolution study, the most common reason for resolutions failing are:

The study also found that of those who plan a New Year's resolution:

• Less than 1 in 5 (18%) plan to share their goals with their family or friends
• 16% do not set a plan on how they will achieve their goals
• Over half (51%) plan to keep track of their progress but only 13% plan to use a reminder tool or progress tracker to help them keep track of their goals
• Almost 2 in 3 plan to make their goal realistic to ensure it is achievable
• And only 7% plan to invest financially in their goals

While most New Year’s resolutions may fail, a Journal of Clinical Psychology study also found that people who make resolutions are 10 times more likely to change their behavior than those who don't.

It's true

The first group made their behavioral goals a resolution.

The second group didn't.

Both groups did not differ in terms of demographic characteristics, problem histories, or behavioural goals (weight loss, exercise program, and smoking cessation being the most prevalent).

Here's the interesting part…

When the researchers followed up with their participants six months later they found 46% of the resolvers were continuously successful compared to only 4% of the non-resolvers.

Well another year has gone. It's time to turn over a new leaf.

What happened last year no longer matters.

Now it's all about making 2016 your finest year yet!

And there's no finer way to reinvent your life than with a New Year's resolution.

Here are 4 surprising tips to making your resolutions stick this year.

Tip # 1 – You are more likely to succeed if you focus on one resolution at a time because of this ‘flaw' in brains

The first step in understanding how to make our resolutions stick is understanding the limitations of our brains.

The part of the brain largely responsible for will power is the prefrontal cortex (located just behind the forehead).

It is also responsible for keeping us focused, handling short-term memory and solving abstract problems.

The problem is the prefrontal cortex only has a limited amount of computing power (sort of like RAM in a computer).

Focus on too many things at once it can overload and diminish your will power.

Consider a Stanford University experiment for example where several dozen undergraduates were divided into two groups.

One group was given a two-digit number to remember, while the second group was given a seven-digit number. Participants were then directed to walk down the hall where they were presented with two different snack options: a slice of chocolate cake or a bowl of fruit salad.

Here's where the results get interesting.

The students assigned with the seven digit number to remember were nearly twice as likely to choose the cake as students who were given the two digit number.

The researchers concluded the extra numbers placed extra work on the prefrontal cortex which in turn took valuable brain power away from controlling will power.

The lesson learnt is to avoid making too many New Year's resolutions and instead focus on the one or two that give the biggest payoff.

Tip # 2 – Men are 22% more likely to succeed when they engage in goal setting

A study by Quirkology tracked over 3,000 people attempting to achieve a wide range of resolutions including losing weight, visiting the gym, quitting smoking and drinking less.

Interestingly they found men were more 22% more likely to succeed when they engaged in goal setting and focusing on the rewards of achieving them.

The researchers theorized that men were more likely to adopt a macho attitude and have unrealistic expectations so simple goal setting helped them achieve more.

For example instead of resolving to achieve an end result (eg. losing weight) it's more successful to:

• Set yourself an end goal (eg. losing 10 kilos)
• Break down your end goal into smaller goals (eg. lose 1 kilo a week)
• Track your progress (eg. weigh yourself every morning)
• Focus on the rewards of achieving your end goal (eg. Looking better and feeling more attractive).

Of course this strategy isn't just limited to men. Women may also enjoy positive outcomes applying this strategy too.

Tip # 3 – Women are 10% more likely to succeed when they make their resolutions public and get support from friends.

Quirkology also found women were 10% more likely to succeed when they told their friends and family about their resolution and received encouragement to not give up when they fell back into old habits.

They theorized that women are generally more reluctant to tell people about their goals so naturally benefit from the social support of friends and family once they make their goals public

So why does this phenomena happen?

In his book ‘Influence', psychologist Robert Caildini Ph.D. explains the psychology of commitment and consistency like this:

“Inconsistency is commonly thought to be an undesirable personality trait. The person whose beliefs, words and deeds don't match may be seen as indecisive, confused, two-faced or even mentally ill. On the other side, a high degree of consistency is normally associated with personal and intellectual strength.”

Finder.com.au found that of those who achieve their resolutions 3 in 4 (76%) believe that sharing their goals helped reach them, so men may also benefit from this strategy too.

Tip # 4 – Transform Your Resolution Into A Habit

Psychologists tell us that as much as 90% of our behaviour is automatic and done from habit.

From the time you get up in the morning until the time you go to bed at night, there are literally hundreds of things we each do on autopilot every day without conscious thought.

The lesson is that if you want to succeed long-term with your resolution you must make it a habit.

In one study, researchers tried to improve participants' dental habits. All participants were told to floss more, given floss, and shown how to use it.

Participants who planned exactly when and where they would floss were more successful at changing their habits than those who didn't.

For example, if you want to go to the gym more regularly then schedule a regular time on your calendar to do it such as first thing in the morning as soon as you get out of bed.

Before you know it, you'll be going everyday without even thinking about it.

What will your New Year's resolutions be this year?

According to finder.com.au the most common New Year's resolutions are:

• Health and Fitness – overwhelmingly, 58% of people are planning to make a health and fitness New Years' Resolution
• Money – 15% are planning a money goal
• Relationships – 8% have a goal about relationships
• Business and Career – 7% will focus on their careers
• Travel – 6% are planning a travel goal

All of these resolutions are fantastic and will undoubtedly improve your life.

However looking back on my life I can tell you one of my biggest transformations came when I made the conscious decision to develop my financial intelligence.

You see when I was younger I had a dream to help others and change the world.

And that viewpoint lead to me having too much debt, too little savings and an inability to help others and achieve my personal goals.

Desperate to change my circumstances I found myself sitting in a crowded room with people just like you and I, furiously making notes and listening intently to what the financial expert on stage had to say.

I found my language and mindset changing as I spoke to others in the room.

I eventually recruited a mentor to help me redefine my attitudes towards money and build my business and financial acumen.

This newfound attitude eventually helped me create some of Australia's largest people organisations, it's allowed me to travel and improve the lives of millions of people around the world and fulfill some pretty incredible dreams.

Margaret Thatcher once said, “No one would remember the Good Samaritan if he'd only had good intentions; he had money as well.”

In summary, the new year is an exciting time to commit to new changes and revolutionise your life for you and your loved ones.

It's an even better time to recommit to your prosperity and share it with others.