• Shop
  • Cart
  • Nav Social Icons

             
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Cart
  • Mobile Menu Widgets

    Connect

    Search

Elyssa Nalani

Elyssa Nalani

live well | stay focused

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Blog
  • Coaching
  • Resource Library
  • Courses

3 Things You Need To Do if You’re Already Failing at Your New Year’s Resolutions

February 8, 2023 · In: GOALS & PLANNING

According to Forbes, research indicates that 80% of people ditch their resolutions by February. There are several things we can do with that information. The Forbes article suggests an approach that ditches a to-do list and embracing a to-don’t list. Not necessarily a bad plan but, in my honest opinion, it’s not a robust enough strategy when there are substantial projects and goals you actually want to achieve!

So what are you supposed to do when February comes along and you’ve made little to no progress on your goals and you’re already tired or jaded about the whole stinkin’ plan? What do you do when you have no momentum and don’t feel the least bit inspired but you still want to make this year count? In this post, I’m going to share 3 things you need to do if you’re already failing at your new year’s resolutions and you want to do something about it!

(this post contains affiliate links. see disclosure here)

1. Give Yourself Grace

First of all, failure to do or not do something doesn’t mean that you are a failure. There are a lot of variables that go into completing a task or project. If, for whatever reason, there is a change in those variable, whether it was by choice or out of your control, it can impact your ability to do what you set out to do. That seems obvious but it’s important to remember. Sometimes we kick ourselves because we were unable to do something specific but maybe the reasons are legitimate –

  • lack of, or change in energy
  • change in schedule
  • change in finances
  • lack of, or change in opportunity
  • change in relationships
  • change in priorities
  • change in emotional or mental well-being
  • etc.

When change impedes your ability to complete a task, don’t kick yourself, give yourself grace. I’d be willing to bet that 90% of the time you can go back to the drawing board and try again without too much of a problem. Obviously, there are exceptions but they are few and most of the time, you can make up for what might not have happened. So take a deep breath and acknowledge whatever might have caused you lose track or momentum. Ask yourself questions like the following –

  • Am I dealing with emotional stress like disappointment, anxiety, fear, or frustration?
  • Am I dealing with any financial, relational, or physical stressors or crises?
  • Have the resources I originally counted on become more difficult obtain or use?

Asking these kinds of questions will help you to look at your uncompleted tasks through the correct lenses. When you can see why something might not have worked, you’ll be gentler with yourself and not treat yourself like a failure. Because you’re not. I promise.

This leads me to the next step.

2. Evaluate

Now that you’re looking at your resolutions through the proper lenses, let’s evaluate them. I’m going to use some of my own goals as an example for this step (if you want to see my full list of resolutions and goals, you can check them out here).

  1. Lose 25 pounds
  2. Read the whole Bible in a year
  3. Start an address book
  4. Read 100 books

When you’ve completely lost steam on your goals, you need to go back to your list and evaluate

  1. why you chose them
  2. whether or not they’re still relevant

If your goals no longer motivate you to action, then you need to re-acquaint yourself with your why.

  • Why did you choose them in the first place?
  • Why were they important to you?
  • What would happen if you succeeded at your goals?
  • What would happen if you failed?

Evaluate your goals and decide whether or not you should keep them or adjust them. And there’s nothing wrong with feeling either overwhelmed or even underwhelmed by your goals and projects. Either of those feelings can be useful indicators as to whether or not you need to hold onto something. There’s nothing wrong with changing something that isn’t working or may not be worth pursuing. Don’t be afraid to remove something from your list if you need to.

Once you get through evaluating your list, you can move on to the next step.

3. Prioritize

When you know why you want to do something, you’ll be more motivated to make it a priority in your everyday plans. Now that you’ve evaluated your goals, you need to figure out how you’re going to prioritize them. Can you break each goal down into smaller tasks that you can schedule into your planner? I use my PowerSheets for this kind of task breakdown. When you can break big goals and projects down into smaller, bite-sized tasks, they don’t seem as unwieldy or intimidating.

So let’s take another look at the goals I listed above –

  1. Lose 25 pounds
  2. Read the whole Bible in a year
  3. Start an address book
  4. Read 100 books

SIMPLE ROUTINES

Both reading goals can easily be scheduled into the bookends of my day – the morning and evening. I can work through my Bible reading plan in the mornings and spend 20-30 minutes reading through my TBR in the evening before bed. Easy, peasy, lemon squeasy!

Simple projects

In order to start an address book, I need an address book, right? Okay, that’s step one. I can write ‘buy address book’ on my to do list for the week or month. That means I’m looking them up on Amazon, checking my local bookstore or office supplies store if I have time while running errands. After I acquire the address book, I need to start gathering contact information for family and friends. Maybe I need to plan 30 minute blocks into my schedule for the next few weeks to work on that. Or maybe I can dedicate an entire afternoon one weekend this month or next to the project. All of that is doable! And because this project is not urgent, the priority level is a little lower than some of the other goals on my list. If I need to move this around in my schedule because something else was more important, I can. No harm, no foul. It’s something I’d like to get done in the next few months but I can be flexible on it if necessary.

Complex Projects

The 25 pounds is a little more complex. It requires working out, potential changes to my diet, meal planning and prepping, committing to changes my schedule, etc.. This is also going to require coordinating with my husband on things like budget, time, and other resources. How do his wellness goals relate to mine? What can we do together and what are we doing separately? Complex projects like this take patience and honesty. Patience to create a plan and honesty to recognize when you may need to make changes. You’re not going to get it perfect right away. Be okay with failing and trying again. Be okay with making little by little progress over time. A step or two forward is always better than not doing anything at all!


If you’re already feeling defeated, give these three steps a try and give your goals another shot. If you thought they were worth setting in the first place, then don’t give up on them now! I hope these tips help you as you push through your goals and resolutions! What are some things that have helped you stay on track with goals in the past? I’d love to read your ideas in the comments!

By: Elyssa Nalani · In: GOALS & PLANNING · Tagged: goals, planning

you’ll also love

6 Questions For When You’ve Lost Clarity & Focus
My February Tending List & January Review
My Reading Goals for 2023

Become an insider!

Don't miss updates, & other stuff I don't share anywhere else!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Suzi says

    February 8, 2023 at 2:09 pm

    I accumulated my address book, one address at a time. Every time I interacted with someone, I wrote their information down. This way I never got overwhelmed with the volume or by trying to find a window of time to work on it. … When it came time to make my entries look more professional, I used a word processor so the next time I needed to update, it was easy peasy to make a few revisions and print everything out. Sending lots of love 💖 from sunny 🌞 Arizona 🌵😷.

    Reply
    • Elyssa Nalani says

      February 8, 2023 at 2:11 pm

      That’s a really great idea!! Thank you for sharing! ☺️

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Next Post >

My February Reading List

Primary Sidebar

Welcome

Welcome
hello!

My name is Elyssa! I’m a Jesus-loving planner babe & book girl and I inspire and equip women of faith to live well and stay focused on what matters most.

Read More

Search

Let's Connect

Browse Categories

  • GOALS & PLANNING
  • FAITH
  • HEALTH & WELLNESS
  • HOBBIES & RECREATION
  • SPACES & STEWARDSHIP
  • RELATIONSHIPS & ETIQUETTE
  • WORK

Full Focus Planner

become an insider!

Follow Along

@elyssanalani

elyssanalani

Wife • Writer • Bible Nerd• Goals Coach
I inspire & equip women of faith to live well & stay focused on what matters most
Join the Collective 👇🏽

Elyssa Nalani Trujillo
I've seen the effects of people neglecting the peo I've seen the effects of people neglecting the people in their homes because they're busy saving the world. It can be devastating & sometimes nearly irreparable. Don't fall into the trap of feeling like everyone else is more important than the care and keeping of your family. They're your first responsibility. Period. It's not as glamorous or sexy. You won't get the same kind of praise, if any at all. But you'll be making the most important investment you will ever have the opportunity and privilege to make. ⁠
⁠
If you needed a reminder to prioritize those closest to you, here it is. It doesn't have to be complicated, it just has to be real and from the heart ❤︎⁠
⁠
Good Monday Morning, friend 😊⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#goodmondaymorning #mondaymorningreminder #mondaymorning #mondaymotivation #happymonday #livewellstayfocused #livewellenvironmentally #livewellvocationally #livewellphysically #livewellsocially #livewellfaithfully #livewellavocationally #thelivewellsix #takecareofyourfamily #familyfirst #prioritize #dontcomplicateit #littlebylittle #itsthesimplethings
Happy Friday, Friend ❤️⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ #liv Happy Friday, Friend ❤️⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#livewellstayfocused #livewellfaithfully #fridayreminder #weekend #happyweekend #bibleverse #grace #abundance #weekendreminder #goodworks
God created us to do good work. We don't labor jus God created us to do good work. We don't labor just to keep the lights on (important as that is), we work as a function of being a human being, made in God's image. He created humans to be productive, creative, problem-solvers, community-builders, art-makers, developers, resource-managers, home-makers, educators, and all the rest. ⁠
⁠
If you needed a reminder to do your best work, here it is. You may hate your job. You may not get a paycheck. You may not be in the field or have the career of your dreams. You may not be appreciated. You may be in over your head. It doesn't matter. Whatever your work is, you are answering the call of the kingdom when you give it your very best. ⁠
⁠
Good Monday Morning, friend 😊 ⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#goodmondaymorning #mondaymorningreminder #mondaymorning #mondaymotivation #happymonday #livewellstayfocused #livewellenvironmentally #livewellvocationally #livewellphysically #livewellsocially #livewellfaithfully #livewellavocationally #thelivewellsix #workhardstayhumble  #madeingodsimage #dogoodwork #beagoodhuman #career #dreams #hardwork #workethic #work #doyourbest #worksmarternotharder #dontcomplicateit #littlebylittle #itsthesimplethings
Happy Friday, Friend ❤️ ⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ #li Happy Friday, Friend ❤️ ⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#livewellstayfocused #livewellfaithfully #fridayreminder #weekend #happyweekend #bibleverse #steadfast #immovable #weekendreminder #givethanks
Need a breakthrough on a project? Try mapping out Need a breakthrough on a project? Try mapping out your work in color! Digital tools and notebooks have their rightful places but man, when I’m especially stuck, I need to have some fun on a bigger canvas with some markers and favorite music playing in the background ☺️🎨🎶 It’s not an instant fix but it’s pretty magical and breakthrough comes much more quickly that banging my head against the keyboard 🙃
.
.
.
#creativework #creativeworkspace #breakthrough #contentcreator #coursecreator #gettingunstuck #inspriation #workfromhomelife #livewellstayfocused #livewellavocationally #work #writerlife #writersblock #creativebrain #keeppushing #coloring #stuck #itgetsbetter #outofthebox #playtime
Happy Monday! I have a huge favor ☺️ I'm work Happy Monday! I have a huge favor ☺️

I'm working on a project and I'd like to know what are some of the things that keep people from reading & studying the Bibles. I'd love to hear any assumptions, pre-conceived notions, and myths you've come across, struggle(d) with, or otherwise experienced! 
No wrong answers ☺️

Thank you in advance! I appreciate it 😎
It's easy to get excited about making all kinds of It's easy to get excited about making all kinds of changes in your life but don't overload yourself or you'll be in danger of burn out. Make a list of the changes you want to make and then tackle them a little at time. Change doesn't have to happen all at once in order to be good!⁠
⁠
If you needed a reminder to focus on little by little progress, here it is. Don't burn yourself out. Work at a steady pace, and watch what happens! 😃 ⁠
⁠
Good Monday Morning, friend 😊 ⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#goodmondaymorning #mondaymorningreminder #mondaymorning #mondaymotivation #happymonday #livewellstayfocused #livewellenvironmentally #livewellvocationally #livewellphysically #livewellsocially #livewellfaithfully #livewellavocationally #thelivewellsix #littlebylittle #progressnotperfection #yougotthis #momentum #reminder
Happy Friday, Friend ❤️ ⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ #li Happy Friday, Friend ❤️ ⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#livewellstayfocused #livewellfaithfully #fridayreminder #weekend #happyweekend #bibleverse #youarethelightoftheworld #bealight #glorify #weekendreminder
Happy March! If you're like me and you're trying t Happy March! If you're like me and you're trying to spend more time in the Bible this year, then maybe tuck this away for the days when you simply don't feel like reading or studying the Word.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#livewellstayfocused #livewellfaithfully #thelivewell6 #priorities #makeithappen #goals #clutter #readthebible #readyourbible #biblestudy #prayer #biblereading #studythebible #balance #timemanagement #spiritualdisciplines #prayerlife
Happy March! New month, new Tending List 🤩 I’ Happy March!
New month, new Tending List 🤩
I’m ready 🔥
.
.
.
#tendinglist #powersheets #goals #goalsetting #goaldigger #cultivatewhatmatters #getitdone
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Footer

Info

  • About Me
  • Affiliates
  • Contact
  • Disclosure
  • Terms and Conditions

become an insider!

         

Copyright © 2023 · Theme by 17th Avenue