2018 is finally here! After an interesting 2017 so to speak, I’m sure all of you are looking ahead to new challenges to tackle. Maybe you are finally putting that £40 a month gym membership you signed up two years ago to good use, to shave off those mince pies and Christmas pudding. Many of us, including myself say we are finally going to redecorate the bathroom. As January slips by and as February appears we still haven’t started and before you know it 2019 is here.

As the saying goes, “New Year New Me”. These four simple tips to stay motivated will help you and I hopefully achieve our goals and by the end of the year gloat to our superiority to our family and friends.

1. Start small, one goal at a time.

Another saying for you “Learn to walk before you run” or in my case, “learn to drive before you race” have small simple achievable goals instead of extremely unrealistic ones. This will help you stay on track and not feel like you’re climbing up Mount Everest.

2. Find and share with like-minded friends, Help stay motivated together!!

Staying motivated on your own is tough. But if you find someone with the same idea, see if they’d like to partner with you. Even if you don’t have the same goals — as long as you are both pushing and encouraging each other to succeed, you can help each other stay motivated and give each other feedback. If you don’t have someone, try joining a Facebook group or forum.

3. Chart your progress, see the changes take place.

When you track your progress, maybe have monthly goals? I find that it helps me to see where I need to make more effort, what I need to work on. Maybe by using a notice board or a progress chart and keep a note of what you did day by day, reflect on it for example how you felt?, how it helps?, was it hard? Etc.

4. Don’t forget to reward yourself, have something to look forward too. 

Once you have achieved your goals, give yourself a treat, we all need something to work for and to look forward too.

These four simple steps are repeatable and will never let you down in theory, you can apply these for anything in life not just new years’ resolutions. Whether it be starting the gym, a new hobby or even a new job these are steps you can always rely on. So no excuses now, get to it!