Here’s a repeat share to get your new year off to a good start. Authors Chip and Dean Heath (who teach at Stanford and Duke respectively) have written several books about how to make better decisions and how to create change that sticks. So they know what they’re talking about when they pen “4 Research-Backed Tips for Sticking to Your New Years Resolutions.”
Here’s a post by author Dan Pink that brings the science of behavioral economics to new year’s resolutions.
Speaking of resolutions and economics, here’s an interesting 30-minute podcast on the Freakonomics blog about why willpower alone is not enough (and what to do instead).
And one final tip of my own. High school students spend enough time being measured, evaluated, and compared. Most are receiving too many messages identifying their (perceived) weaknesses and reminding them (often inaccurately) what they need to change or improve about themselves to get into “good colleges.” If you’re a high school student making new year’s resolutions, please make sure that some or all of those goals lead to things that actually make you–not just colleges or teachers or your parents–happy. There’s nothing wrong with vowing to study for the SATs or get a higher GPA, especially if the pursuit and accomplishment of that goal would make you feel proud and fulfilled. But if your resolutions are things you want to do rather than simply things you think you should do, you’re more likely to achieve and appreciate them. They’re your resolutions, after all.
Have a happy and safe New Year.