Double down for one more week and reap the benefits.

This week is an important one for people who made New Year’s resolutions (I hope that’s you)! If you can keep your resolution for the rest of January, you’ll be much more likely to end the year having kept it, too.

Here are two tips for hanging in there if you are starting to falter:

1.     Remember that there is a world of difference between lapse and relapse.  A lapse is a small slip in behavior, and nearly everyone has them. Most people slip here and there a lot in January. A relapse is a full fall: You give up, you go back to your pre-resolution behavior.

If you’ve had a few slips, ask yourself why. What can you learn from your mistakes? Were you on vacation? (That’s always hard.) Do you not have a specific enough plan for how to fulfill your resolution? What temptation or situation should you avoid in the future? Remember: Lapses are to be expected. They are a part of the process. Don’t freak out or give up if you have a bad day here or there.

2.     Beware the “what the hell effect.” It’s really important not to let a temporary lapse become something bigger than it is. Say you’ve sworn off sugar, but one morning you eat a pie for breakfast. You’re at risk for what researchers formally call the Abstinence Violation Effect (AVE), and jokingly call the “what the hell effect.” If you’ve already blown your diet today, why not go hog wild? What the hell–you can begin again tomorrow, right?

Wrong. The more damage you do during your binge, the more likely you are to slip again the next day, and the less confidence you’ll have in yourself that you can change. As soon as you notice a slip, try the following to avoid getting to that “what the hell” moment:

• Forgive yourself. Remind yourself that lapses are a part of the process, and that feeling guilty or bad about your behavior will not increase your future success. (In fact, self-criticism actually decreases future success.)
• Rededicate yourself to your resolution (now, in this instant, not tomorrow). Why do you want to make the changes that you do? How will you benefit? Do a little deep breathing and calm contemplation of your goals.
• Make a plan for the next time you will face a similar challenge. What will you do differently? How will you avoid the temptation in the future? What have you learned from your slip?

Take Action: Learn more about how to successfully make change this year. Read the full post from my Greater Good blog here, or take this online class (“Cracking the Habit Code: 21 Days to Keeping Your Resolutions”). Register by midnight tonight and get the class HALF OFF!

Join the Discussion: What did you resolve this year? How is it going?

Were you too busy over the holidays to make your New Year’s resolutions? Or maybe you made a resolution, but you never really started doing it?

Making a New Year’s resolution increases the odds that you will make a change in the coming year by TEN TIMES! If there is something in particular that you’d like to improve about yourself, make a resolution now.

Here are some quick tips for making successful changes:

1. Pair your list of resolutions down to JUST ONE easy thing. You have a limited supply of willpower each day, and unless you are superhuman, you probably don’t have the self-control you need to deal with your life AND keep up with a long list of lofty resolutions. Better to aim a little lower, but then actually accomplish something. What one small thing do you want to do differently this year?

2. Be really specific about what you’d like to achieve. Maybe you want to get more exercise, but you haven’t really done much on this front. Specify HOW you will get more exercise and EXACTLY WHAT you will do (e.g., take the stairs every morning and evening, or to go to the gym twice a week).

3. Pre-commit to your resolutions. Like Odysseus chaining himself to the mast while sailing past the Sirens, sometimes we need extreme measures to keep ourselves from temptation. Yale researchers created a website where you can make a contract with yourself to keep your resolution (stickK.com). I love this website, and recommend it highly. Folks who commit  to their resolution fully on stickK.com (by naming a referee to enforce financial penalties) dramatically increase their odds of success.

Take Action: Make your one easy, specific resolution now, and find a way to “pre-commit” to it. What penalty will you suffer if you don’t meet your commitment?

Join the Discussion: Tell us what your resolution and pre-commitment is here.

Want more support for your resolutions? Sign up to get the last week of emails related to our resolutions group here; the free version of this class ends January 21st, so jump in now!