?? Don't Make Resolutions! Just Make Them Happen??

?? If you get this one thing, you won't have to make any resolutions ever again.

The science of willpower is fascinating, but it’s not easy to understand. The idea that we have a finite amount of willpower has been around since the early 20th century. More recently, research has found that willpower is like a battery — it gets depleted when you use it and takes time to recharge. If you make too many resolutions, you won’t have enough willpower reserves to stick to all of them.

“People make all these different New Year’s resolutions, but they are all pulling off from the same pool of your willpower,” says Cambridge professor Willoughby Britton.

New Year’s resolutions are a great way to set goals and get started on a new path in life, but they can also drain your willpower. “When you say you are going to do something, it takes up your mental energy because you have to be aware that you said it and that it was real,” says Britton. “The more often we say something and then act on it, the harder it becomes for us to change our minds later on down the line when things aren’t going so well.”

Britton suggests making one resolution per month rather than trying for one big resolution at once.

This allows for small changes throughout the year instead of being overwhelmed by one big change at once. You can replenish your willpower by taking breaks from work and exercising regularly. But if you find yourself getting overwhelmed by all the resolutions floating around this time of year, here are some tricks for keeping your resolve strong:

?? Review your goals

?? Use the power of science

?? Avoid temptations

?? Don't cut out everything you love

?? Identify your triggers

?? Set realistic expectations

?? Have a support system

???? ????Resolutions:

A Meta-Analysis of Change in Behavior found that willpower works like a muscle that needs to be strengthened.

“Self-regulation failures are more likely when the self is depleted, and several studies suggest that cognition and emotions are similarly impaired by self-control effort,”

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?? Takeaway:

Behavior changes only happen when changing is both possible and desirable.

The new year is a chance for a fresh start: to re-evaluate your priorities and commitments, so you can gear your actions toward them in a way that’s sustainable.

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