Ask HN: How to make effective resolutions?

2 points·wanghq··4 comments

New year is coming. Every year people make new year's resolutions and forget them after few days. So what are the effective ways to fulfill the resolutions? It might be interesting to run an experiment and see what most likely contribute to a successful resolution.

* set up clear goal

* make it private/public

* have someone remind you

* reward/punish yourself

* join a group of people with similar interests

...

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New year's resolutions don't work. The resolutions are usually unreasonable ("I'll eat only healthy foods from now on") and external ("I'd like to be seen as a person who runs every morning").

If you have never achieved your resolution before, why would you succeed just because it's 2015? What happens when you fail the first time? Maybe start hating the challenge, or yourself, and quit?

If the resolution is something you really cared about start doing it today. Keep the change modest ("go for a walk once a week" vs. "run every day") and accept the fact that you are going to fail every now and then. Joining a group with similar interests works if it makes the action more fun. Having someone to run with is good but having someone to punish you for not running isn't that useful.

Dude these things are like celebrity marriages, they never last. That said here's my tip for self improvement accountability: https://www.lift.do

laf... btw, I hate site that requires signup to show anything.

Measure your progress in an objective way.

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