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Cristel Russell Gives Advice on How to Stick to New Year’s Resolutions for Psychology Today

The start of the new year is an opportunity for new beginnings. While it’s easy to get discouraged and give up on resolutions, Cristel Russell, Pepperdine Graziadio professor of marketing, gave five tips to Psychology Today, based on consumer and psychology research, to help you succeed this year:

  • Tip #1: Don't be overly ambitious when setting your goal(s): It's much easier to make small, gradual changes than to make drastic ones all at once.
  • Tip #2: Set concrete actions needed to reach the goal: Making a plan for what actions are needed toward a goal will make the goal more concrete and therefore achievable.
  • Tip #3: Plan interim steps toward the overall target: It's always nice to get positive reinforcement toward a goal. The more often we can get this positive reinforcement, the more motivated we stay.
  • Tip #4: Make your resolution public: Telling people about your resolution will help you stick to it. 
  • Tip #5: Join a support group: Russell’s research on social media support groups shows that such groups can provide an excellent platform for sharing one's successes and for helping during the inevitable challenges and setbacks. 

Russell stresses that setting resolutions is only the first step. Reaching and obtaining goals is challenging, but by using these five tips, everyone can be successful in reaching their goals. 

Read the full article in Psychology Today.