Three Tips for Sticking Your Financial Resolutions

Let’s talk resolutions.

The oh-so cheesy but oh-so necessary topic for this time of year.

Did you know that 80% of all New Years’ resolutions fail by FEBRUARY?

Did you know that getting control of finances is the #2 New Year’s resolution?? To me, that seems like a lot of financial disappointment to start off the new year–disappointment that can be avoided!

Whether you are a small business looking to increase profits or a person looking to budget better, there are THREE tips that I have used to help me stick to my New Year goals:

#1. Make sure your goals can be MEASURED!

#1.Most people start the new year with an obscure idea of something that they would like to change about their lives. They think, “If my goal is broad, there is less chance to fail, right?” WRONG! Specific goals help you keep yourself on track! So, instead of setting a goal like “save more money” or “increase profits”, make it specific and turn it into something like “save $50 each week” or “increase annual revenue by 20%”. Now you have a benchmark to gauge your success!

#2. EASE into your goals.

How many of us, in a moment of great ambition, have sworn off sugar forever, only to find ourselves in the kitchen at midnight on day #3 shoving handfuls of chocolate chips into our mouth? Any worthwhile goal will bring some shell-shock to go along with it. When you are deciding on your resolutions, make sure you start with something simple that can increase in intensity as the year goes on. Rome wasn’t built in a day!

#3. Break your goal into BLOCKS

Baby steps! A large goal becomes a lot easier to manage if it gets broken down into bite-sized chunks. I suggest breaking your resolution into 90-day action-steps that will help you achieve the overall goal. Revisit these steps often to make sure you’re on track!

Resolutions are absolutely vital to make sure we are improvo\ing! Still need help setting a financial goal or making an action plan? I can help!