How To Stick To Your Goals During The Holidays

“I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen.”
– Frank Llloyd Wright

Oreos Milk And Cookies

You know the situation all too well.  You’re trying to accomplish any number of common goals – lose weight, workout regularly, cut sugar out of your diet, declutter, write every day, stop drinking, climb out of debt.

You set your goal, create a plan to accomplish it – and then the end of November comes around and you get derailed for a month and a half.  Thanksgiving dinner.  Post dinner desserts and cocktails. Office holiday parties and eggnog. Relatives bringing gifts, Christmas, New Year’s – and before you know it, you’re back where you started:

  • Your hard fought weight loss wiped  out
  • Your promise to yourself to meditate every day a distant memory
  • The house is filled with even more stuff you need to find a place for

And then, New Year’s resolutions. Did you know that 25% of resolutions are broken in the first two weeks? Some people will stick with their resolutions, while asome New Year’s resolutions are doomed to failure.

The holidays are a time for friends, family and celebration – but they can wreak havoc on your personal goals.  Here are a few strategies I employ which help me stick with my goals – even during the holidays.

5 Strategies For Sticking With Your Goals During The Holidays

1. Use The Holidays To Your Advantage And Accomplish Goals In Line With Tradition

Quality Time With Family. I discovered when I researched my article about how to make more time for yourself that 90% of people wished they had more time to spend with friends and family.  So why not take advantage of the holidays (children out of school, federal holidays, relatives visiting) to spend more time with your friends and family?

Volunteer Opportunities. I know I often wish I could do more for those less fortunate than myself.  The holidays provide many excellent opportunities to volunteer with local groups, whether it’s serving Thanksgiving dinner or donating toys.

Donate and Clear Clutter. One of my favorites – I use winter as a time to donate my excess items (especially clothes) to Goodwill and the Salvation Army.  Not only do they go to a good cause, but it helps me clean out my house. As a side benefit, in my research I’ve found that altruism is one of the keys to happiness.

2. Plan For Failure

I generally eat very clean and healthy – no alcohol, no sugar, lots of fresh vegetables and lean meats.  However, I know that at Thanksgiving dinner I’m going to want to eat some mashed potatoes, gravy and my favorite – pumpkin pie.

So I plan for failure.  Knowing that I’m going to eat unhealthily that day, I reduce my calorie intake starting on Sunday, and eat extremely clean Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday I’ll eat a light breakfast and lunch. The net result? Even though Thanksgiving dinner may sidetrack my goals, by planning for the failure I’ll be able to minimize the damage – and enjoy my dinner guilt free.

3.  Get Your Friends and Family On Board

Family Pictures SilhouetteAs some of you may know, I’ve been reducing unnecessary commitments as well as my possessions – and I’ve talked to my family about it and they’re on board with my goals.

Though they may not be changing their lives in the same direction as I am, just knowing my stance means I no longer receive Christmas gifts that I won’t use.  Your friends and family are supportive, and will support your goals – as long as you tell them about it and get them on board.

4.  Don’t Complain About “The Situation” – Do Something About It

Some people I know complain that they can’t stick with a healthy diet during the holidays because of the food served at celebrations.  Rather than accept what’s going to happen, I try to proactively thinking about what a solution might be – rather than just complaining about the situation.  For example, at pot lucks I bring salads, fresh fish, healthy wraps, etc.  Even if nobody else brings something I can fit into my diet, I’m in control of what I’m going to eat.

Another example: when I travel I know I have a difficult time sticking to my workout schedule – but if I just take a few minutes to research which hotels have gyms inside them or nearby, I find it is surprisingly easy to find a spare hour in the morning or evening to get a workout in.

5.  Look At It As A Challenge – An Opportunity To Exercise Your Self-Discipline

Finally, if all else fails and the deck is stacked against you – don’t fear it, embrace the challenge!  As I discussed in my research on self-discipline, willpower is like a muscle – you can exercise and strengthen it.

So rather than dreading the holidays as a time that will wear you down with your goals, I try to mentally spin them as a challenge.  I tell myself that if I can get through December without eating cookies, for example, then the rest of the year is going to be easy.  It’s like my own personal willpower bootcamp – exercising and strengthening my willpower muscles at this time of year means that they can easily handle anything that is thrown at me during the other 11 months of the year.

Final Thoughts, Your Thoughts And Strategies?

Another perspective a friend brought up is that it may just be too much work and not worth the extra stress to try and stick to some of our goals during the holidays.  I think there’s definitely some validity to that point as well.

What do you think? Do you try to stick to your goals during the holidays? Are there strategies you employ?

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  • Sid,

    Bundling a couple of your points and expanding on them...

    Just like any other goal setting and achievement, time frame perspectives are important. I think it's imperative to view the holiday season in a continuum, rather than as individual days.

    For example, if I want to manage my consumption intake during the season, I'll set weekly goals. This will allow me to address the issue strategically, plan for failure on certain days (your Point 2) and provides me with motivation to take action rather than just shrugging my shoulders and accepting my holiday lot in life (a variant of your Point 4).

    I also find that by setting weekly goals of this sort, I'm able to measure more effectively - particularly when the goals are physical in nature.

    Happy Holidays!
  • Hey Seth,

    Happy Holidays to you as well!

    I absolutely agree with you - the holidays are different from other days,
    but in some ways, they're still the same. They're still 24 hours. They still
    come 7 days a week, and the seconds tick by the same as any other seconds in
    your life.

    For physical goals, I like to collect data daily but you're right - there
    are always going to be daily fluctuations and it's best not to sweat the
    little changes. Long term I see bigger trends, whether it's gaining muscle,
    endurance or losing fat

    Great comment putting the points together as well with your concrete
    examples =)
  • evanhadkins
    I try to understand why I don't want to stick to the goals. Is there a part of me that I'm not listening to? (sometimes there is, sometimes there isn't).
  • Hey Evan,

    Sometimes there's a voice inside of me that is really motivated and yells at
    my body - come on, get up, we can do this!

    Other times, it's that same little voice in my head that's asking to watch
    TV and eat Cheetos ;)
  • Sid,

    One thing I've decided to do is not make any New Year's resolutions this year. I actually already have my goals for the next 12 months outlined and I write them down every single day before I sleep and every morning when I wake up. Amazingly this process allows for a daily goal review and puts the subconscious to work. I learned this from a Brian Tracy tape on goals. I've already started coming up with new ideas and new plans because of it.

    I think volunteer opportunities are another great thing to grow yourself. I am planning on getting involved with the surfrider foundation, a non-profit committed to clean water quality in the ocean. Thanks to my ruptured eadrum I couldn't surf all week so I figured it was the perfect time to start work on my new surfing blog and other projects and I've made massive amounts of progress in the last day. So, there's definitely something to be said for using this time wisely.

    Finally, regarding the opportunity to not complain and do something, I was telling a friend yesterday that this is the perfect time to go out and push the entrepreneurial limits if you don't have a job because then you may be able to create your own job and that would ultimately be awesome.

    Great stuff here as always.
  • Hey Srinivas,

    I know what you mean about new year's resolutions - I am constantly setting
    and reassessing my "short term" ( < 6 month) goals, so it's not too
    different for me ether

    There is definitely a sense of comraderie and "everybody's doing it" with
    regards to New Year's resolutions - and if someone hasn't set goals the
    whole year, then I certainly don't think it hurts to set them at New Year's.
    It's just harder to stick to them if you set them once a year rather than
    (as you alluded to) making it a regular habit =)
  • Hi Sid, these are all great ideas. Some people fall off the wagon during the holidays and never get back on. Personally, for the few days around Christmas and Thanksgiving I just eat reasonably and eat what I want. It's not like those few days are going to destroy all the rest of the good habits that month or year.
  • Hey Stephen,

    Thanks for your comment!

    I think that's a good attitude to have - no sense beating yourself up over a
    couple days when you've stuck to good habits the rest of the month/year =).
    My personal take on it is I like to plan for it, so that even as I'm eating
    less nutritiously (for example), I know that even that meal is on track

    You're absolutely right though - no sense in blowing it out of proportion.
    Enjoy the holidays and time with family - and just don't let the short term
    excuse of a holiday derail the goals long term =)
  • Sid,

    Very timely, thanks for this. I'm particularly all about getting friends and family on-board. Team Up!

    One simple trick I was employing during my (FIVE) Thanksgiving(s) to keep the consumption from getting out of control is filling up the plate with salad first...thus forcing the concentrated calories to the fringes.
  • Hey Pete,

    Thanks! Good call on salad first - I can't imagine how I would have handled
    5 thanksgiving dinners! I mostly ate turkey - but I do like pumpkin pie!
  • my sure-fire way of sticking to my goals these holidays - have no Goals! i've already sorted out gifts, work etc.. So all thats left for me to do is chill
  • Hey feint,

    Hehe. Sounds like you took care of your goals and responsibilities ahead of
    time. I always try to get ahead before the holidays and trips, but don't
    always quite make it ;)