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It’s that time of year when people make their New Year’s resolutions – indeed, 93% of people set them, according to the American Psychological Association. The most common resolutions are related to losing weight, eating healthier, exercising regularly and saving money.
However, research shows that 45% of people fail to keep their resolutions by February, and only 19% keep them for two years. Lack of willpower or self-control is the top cited reason for not following through.
How can you increase your willpower and fulfill your New Year’s promise to yourself? These seven strategies are based on behavioral science and my clinical work with hundreds of people trying to achieve their long-term goals.
1. Clarify and honor your values
Ask yourself why this goal matters to you. Do you want to lose weight because you value getting in shape to return to a favorite pastime of hiking, or because of societal expectations and pressures? People who are guided by their authentic values are better at achieving their goals. They also don’t run out of willpower, because they perceive it as a limitless resource. Figure out what makes you tick, and choose goals consistent with those values.
2. Frame goals and your life in positive terms
Focus on what you want to accomplish, not what you don’t. Instead of planning not to drink alcohol on workdays during the new year, commit to drinking your favorite sparkling water with Sunday to Thursday evening meals. Struggling to suppress thoughts takes a lot of energy, and they have a way of returning to your mind with a vengeance.
It also helps to reflect on the aspects of yourself and your life that you are already happy with. Although you might fear that this will spur complacency and inaction, studies show that gratitude and other positive emotions lead to better self-control in the long run.
3. Change your environment to make it easier
Research suggests that people with high willpower are exceptionally good at arranging their environment to avoid temptations. So, banish all credit cards from your wallet if your goal is to save money. And don’t keep a bowl of M&M’s at your work desk if you intend to eat healthy.
If your coworkers regularly bring sweets to work, ask them to help you with your goals (they might get inspired to join in!) and bring cookies only for special occasions. Supportive friends and family can dramatically increase your chances of achieving your resolutions. Joining a group whose members practice behaviors you’d like to adopt is another great way to bolster your willpower, because having role models improves self-control.
4. Be prepared with ‘if-then’ strategies
Even the best resolution falls apart when your busy schedule and exhaustion take over. Formulate a series of plans for what to do when obstacles present themselves. These “if-then” plans are shown to improve self-control and goal attainment.
Each time you wake up in the middle of the night craving candies or chips, you can plan instead to read a guilty-pleasure magazine, or log into your online community of healthy eaters for inspiration, or eat an apple slowly and mindfully, savoring each bit. When you’re tired and about to skip that gym class you signed up for, call your supportive sister who is on standby. Anticipate as many situations as possible and make specific plans, vividly imagining the situations and what you will do in the moment.
5. Use a gradual approach
When you embark on a new goal, start small and build on early successes. Use one less spoonful of sugar in your coffee. Eventually, you might be able to forgo any sweeteners at all. If resisting that muffin initially proves to be too hard, try waiting 10 minutes. By the end of it, your urge will likely subside.
You might be surprised to realize that change in one domain of life – like abstaining from sweet processed foods – tends to spread to other areas. You might find you are able to bike longer distances, or moderate your caffeine intake more easily.
6. Imagine rewards and then enjoy them
Picture the feeling of endorphins circulating through your body after a run, or the sun on your skin as you approach a mountain summit. Pay attention to all your senses: smell, sight, hearing, touch and taste. Visualizing rewards improves your chances of engaging in the activity that results in them.
If it’s hard to imagine or experience these rewards in the beginning, decide on small, meaningful gifts you can give yourself until the positive effects of the new behaviors kick in. For example, imagine yourself taking a half-day off work each month after you pay down your credit card debt: visualize exactly what you would do and how you would feel. And then do it.
7. Be kind to yourself, even during setbacks
Most people believe the way to increase willpower is to “whip oneself into shape,” because being kind to oneself is indulgent and lacks self discipline. But the exact opposite is true – people who harshly blame themselves for even small willpower failures tend to do worse in accomplishing their goals in the long run.
Try self-compassion instead. Cut yourself some slack and remember that being human means being imperfect. When you fall for that doughnut, don’t despair, and don’t throw in the towel. Treat yourself with care and understanding and then recommit to your goal the following day.
Remember, you aren’t likely to achieve your New Year’s resolutions by being self-critical and hard on yourself. Instead, boost your willpower through a series of small and strategic steps that will help you succeed.
[Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.]
Jelena Kecmanovic, Adjunct Professor of Psychology, Georgetown University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
What are the skywatching highlights of January 2020?
The peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower, Mars rises with its "rival" – the red giant star Antares – and the Moon comes around for another visit with Venus.
The early morning of Jan. 4 brings the peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower. This annual shower can be one of the better ones of the year, although it has a much shorter peak than most other meteor showers – just a few hours versus a day or two.
The visibility of meteor showers from year to year has a lot to do with whether there's a bright Moon in the sky at the time or not.
This year, the Moon will set soon after midnight local time, meaning viewing conditions should be good, provided your local skies are not obscured by winter weather.
Face toward the northeast between midnight and dawn to see as many as two dozen meteors per hour under dark skies. (And the farther away you get from city lights, the darker it'll be.) So bundle up, and be sure to give your eyes a little time to adapt to the dark, including a break from your mobile device, in order to see the maximum number of meteors.
Mars rises before dawn during January with its "rival," the red giant star Antares. The name of this star translates as "rival to Mars" in ancient Greek, and the star rivals the Red Planet's appearance to the unaided eye, both in color and brightness.
In reality, Antares is way, way bigger than Mars. In fact, it's much bigger than the orbit of Mars. It's about 10,000 times brighter than our Sun, but it's also 16 million times farther away from us than Mars is, so, like all stars, even though it's really bright, it appears as just a tiny, flickering point of light in the night sky.
You can view the pair low in the southeast, about an hour before sunrise each morning. Near the beginning of January, Mars appears above Antares. As the days progress, the planet moves lower and to the east of Antares. They're joined by a slim lunar crescent on January 20th for what should be a very pretty grouping.
And as we start 2020, NASA's looking forward to the launch of the Mars 2020 rover mission. It's slated to blast off in July to seek signs of ancient life in a fossilized river delta on the Red Planet.
Closing out the month, the crescent Moon and Venus once again make for a gorgeous sight at the end of January, on the same day of the month as they did back in December.
On Jan. 28, you'll find the pair hovering in the southwest in the hour or so after sunset that evening, so be sure to go out and take a look.
Preston Dyches works for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has identified the man shot fatally by a deputy sheriff during a confrontation in Clearlake Oaks on Saturday night.
Craig Ellis See, 34, of Lower Lake, was the man who died after being shot by Deputy Wesley Besgrove, according to Lt. Corey Paulich.
Paulich said the sheriff’s office has had minimal contact with See for theft and trespass issues.
See was identified as a suspect in an assault with a firearm case earlier this month, Paulich said.
Authorities said that See and Besgrove became involved in an altercation shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot of the Clearlake Oaks Dollar General store. Reports from the scene said See was armed with a knife.
Paulich said previously that the altercation ended in a creek bed just west of the Dollar General.
See died of his injuries at the scene. Besgrove was treated at Adventist Health Clear Lake for injuries including a fractured leg, head contusion and bite marks, according to Paulich.
Besgrove has been a patrol deputy for a year, working three years in corrections previous to that, Paulich said.
Paulich said Besgrove has been placed on administrative leave, as is protocol in such incidents.
Authorities have so far not given more details about the fight between See and Besgrove or how many times See was shot.
The Lake County District Attorney’s Office is leading the investigation of the incident, which is its responsibility under the county’s critical incident protocol.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
The fire was located in the 1400 block of Mission Way, a few blocks across from the tribe’s Konocti Vista Casino.
The glow and smoke column could be seen along Soda Bay Road on Monday night.
Firefighters were first dispatched to the incident shortly before 6:45 p.m.
Lakeport Fire personnel arriving at the scene reported finding a fully involved shed, as well as a burning vehicle, based on radio traffic. There were other buildings nearby but initial reports didn’t indicate if they were in fact damaged.
Radio reports indicated the fire was contained shortly after 7 p.m., with the incident terminated a half-hour later.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Turner appointed to serve on National League of Cities’ Community and Economic Development Committee
This committee has the lead responsibility for developing for the National League of Cities, or NLC, its federal policy positions on issues involving housing, community and economic development, land use, recreation and parks, historic preservation and international competitiveness.
The appointment was announced by NLC President Joe Buscaino, councilmember for the city of Los Angeles.
“I am honored and excited for the opportunity to bring Lakeport’s rural city voice to this national table, and to glean new ideas from cities around the country,” Turner said.
As a committee member, Turner will play a key role in shaping NLC’s policy positions and advocate on behalf of America’s cities and towns before Congress, with the administration and at home.
“NLC’s federal advocacy committees ensure policymakers in Washington understand the most pressing issues facing local communities,” said Buscaino. “I am proud to have Mireya Turner join NLC's Community and Economic Development committee on behalf of her residents. Together, with a team of local officials from across the country, we will strengthen the federal-local partnership, and ultimately create stronger cities, towns and villages.”
The leadership of this year’s committee will consist of Chair Kevin Thompson, councilmember for Mesa, Arizona; Vice Chair Kristopher Dahir, councilman for Sparks, Nevada; and Vice Chair
Emmett Jordan, mayor, Greenbelt, Maryland.
For more information on NLC’s federal advocacy committees, visit www.nlc.org/advocacy/committees.
These are part of the governor’s crime tip reward program under Penal Code § 1547.
The law allows the governor to offer a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of perpetrators for certain unsolved crimes, and up to $100,000 for certain crimes against first responders or for arson upon a place of worship.
Additionally, the governor may issue the reward only upon a recommendation from law enforcement officials.
The governor’s reward program continues to offer $50,000 for information leading to a conviction in the October 2002 murder of Barbara LaForge in downtown Lakeport.
Regarding the two new rewards announced on Monday, the first is for the case of Anthony Barajas from Sacramento.
On the morning of June 28, 2015, Barajas, 20, was in his car in the parking lot of Home Depot on Meadowview Road following a short trip to the store with his younger brother when he was shot in the chest by a passing car. He was transported to the hospital and pronounced dead.
Investigators obtained what they believe to be possible surveillance footage of the unidentified suspect vehicle but have exhausted all existing leads.
Barajas had no prior criminal history and no motive for his shooting has been identified. A $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in this case.
If anyone has any information on this case, they are asked to call the Sacramento Police Department, Office of Investigations at 916-808-0650.
Additionally, a $50,000 reward is being offered for information in the murder of Sarah Roberts.
On New Year’s Eve 2011, Roberts, 26, was shot as she walked away from a party in Central Fresno.
The mother of two young children was shot while she was on the phone and waiting outside near a party she was attending.
Roberts was found unconscious by her brother and taken to the hospital where she died from her injuries.
Investigators do not believe Roberts was an intended victim and think she may have been caught in the exchange of rival gang gunfire.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to call Lt. Mark Hudson at the Fresno Police Department at 559-259-2909.
For more information on the Governor’s Reward Program, click here.