It’s that time of year again, and we all want 2024 to be the year you accomplish new things. Getting your first pull-up. Running your first 5k. Learning to play that piano. Taking that first trip overseas.

Let’s be honest, we know for most people new year’s resolutions aren’t going to become habit – we declare nebulous goals, and then we look back at year’s end and realize we never really got out of the starting gate. Want to actually get stuff done? You don’t need resolutions. Here’s exactly what you need instead.

Step 1: Forget Motivation!

‍Motivation and inspiration can certainly help to get started, but without understanding how discipline and habits work, we’re doomed to another year of “oh yeah, I forgot I said I was going to do that”. But motivation wanes, and inspiration fades quickly when life kicks in.

Step 2: Build the Habit

That decision to sit on the couch instead of going for a walk isn’t just a lack of building the habit to exercise — it’s reinforcing the habit of sitting on the couch. The decision to eat fast food rather than something healthy isn’t just a decision to not eat better, it’s running through and reinforcing the behavior of eating junk food.

Step 3: Hack Your Environment

Every day, everything around us subtly influences us. That bowl of candy on your desk is begging for you to acknowledge its existence. You have to use willpower throughout the day to tell yourself “don’t eat the candy, don’t eat the candy.”

2024 is going to be a healthy year for you!

This is a preview of our Pinnacle Health Management Wellness Program toolkit. Employers can obtain our Wellness Program as an add-on, which includes quarterly wellness challenges, wellness toolkits and other educational resources, newsletters on popular health topics, and customized reports at the end of all wellness challenges. If you’d like more information, contact us at 866.930.7264 or at quotes@pinnaclehealthmanagement.com.