Sticking with it

I'm a resolutions person. I recall as far back as secondary school in Hong Kong, writing up goals, and clear plans and timetables to fulfill them.

I love taking the time to reflect on the year past, what I am proud of and thankful for. I love looking ahead, envisioning where I want to take my life, evaluating where it is now, and feeling out where I need to focus for the following year. I'm not alone—this is the time of the year when blogs and magazines are chockfull of resolutions-themed articles. I think it's a beautiful ritual of humanity, to not just be swept away by daily survival, to want to ponder, review, dream and hope.

But resolutions often get broken, cast away and forgotten along the year. Here's a tip using basic human psychology to increase your chances of sticking with it: COMMIT.

I'm not being facetious. I'm being literal.

1. Commitment means not being wishy-washy and general. Be clear and focused, and make your resolutions actionable.
2. Commitment isn't just thinking about some things you may do. Tell yourself you'll do them.
3. Better yet, commit in writing. A contract with yourself. A poster. A collage.
4. Even better, commit in public. Tell your family and friends about your resolutions. Write a blog post. Put it on Facebook.

The more you do to commit, basic human psychology will come to play, and motivate you to be consistent and stick with your commitments. That's why people sing national anthems, couples celebrate wedding anniversaries, organizations encourage members to display their affiliation. Commitment and consistency are wired into human behavior. (You can read more about the psychology of influence here.)

One more personal tip for sticking with your resolutions—write a "quick-how" list every month. Revisit your resolutions, and write out a list of quick, fun, easy things you can do that month to fulfill your resolutions. That way, your action of commitment is constantly renewed!