Clinking together glasses of champagne, dressing in glitter, throwing confetti, and watching fireworks are some of the most popular New Year's traditions there are. But almost as important as the day itself is our tendency to set New Year's resolutions. 

We always want to start the year off better than the last, and to have that positive energy follow us throughout as we tackle goal after goal. While the first few weeks can feel super productive - it’s not uncommon to feel a lack of motivation as the year progresses. This is where accountability can play a huge role in helping you not only stay consistent with your resolutions, but actually meet most of them by the end of the year! 

Knowing that, let’s get into the top 3 ways you can hold yourself most accountable this year. 

1) Set Specific, Short, and Realistic Goals

While a goal you may really want to accomplish this year is traveling the world - and that may be possible - double-checking that your resolutions are realistic will almost guarantee you can reach them! So, instead of making it a goal to travel the world by the end of the year, aim for goals like “taking at least 1 vacation” or “taking monthly road-trips to see more of the country”. Even writing a list of places you would like to travel overall might inspire that first trip of the year, and help you feel further along your overall bucket list without making you feel like you need to get through it all in less than 12 months. Keeping your list of resolutions short will also help keep them realistic. Life happens; some days, weeks, and months will be more hectic than others and we may not be able to stay on track with our goals at all times. This is where setting specific, short, and realistic goals will help you reach success overall. 

2) Find an Accountability Buddy

As the age old saying goes - two is better than one! Having an accountability buddy is a sure-fire way to guarantee accountability in the new year. Start by choosing someone you feel comfortable sharing your resolutions with; this can be a friend, sibling, parent, partner, spouse, or even a co-worker. Then, see if you have any resolutions in common. Maybe you both want to start cooking more. Maybe you both want to incorporate more movement into your lives! Whatever it is, this can be an opportunity to set a plan to help one another and have someone you care for join you in reaching your goals. Even if you don’t have any resolutions in common, knowing there is someone in your corner who can check-in on you regarding certain goals (and vice-versa) can make all the difference. 

3) Treat Yourself 

It can be easy to feel like the biggest reward will simply be to reach all your goals by the end of the year - but it doesn’t have to be that way! One of the simplest and most effective ways to hold ourselves accountable can be to reward ourselves along the way. Perhaps you can take yourself out to a spa, treat yourself to that new restaurant you’ve always wanted to try, or finally buy that one thing you’ve been saving up for. Knowing there’s this “prize” for all the hard work you’re putting into reaching your resolutions can help you reach them even faster, and enjoy the process a whole lot more too.

So, don’t let your resolutions scare you this year. With these tips under your sleeve, you’re guaranteed to stay accountable and reach them at your own pace!