You make New Year’s resolutions stick by removing the roadblocks before they appear and starting in November — setting the goal, communicating it, scheduling it, gathering the knowledge you need, and beginning now instead of January 1. Most resolutions fail by February because people wait. In this Physical Friday I count down five ways to eliminate the roadblocks so your resolution actually survives the year.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
By eliminating the roadblocks in advance and starting in November rather than January 1. Counting down: set the goal now, communicate it to the people in your life, set the schedule, gather any knowledge you need, and start now. Most resolutions fail by February or March because people wait until the new year to figure out the basics. Doing the prep work early removes the obstacles before they ever show up.
Because waiting until January 1 means scrambling to figure out where the gym is, what your schedule will be, and how you will actually do it — all at once, under pressure. Starting in November gives you time to set the goal, build meaning around it, prepare your family and schedule, and develop the habit gradually. By January 1 you are only adding a little to an established routine instead of starting from zero.
First, set a specific goal now — a weight to lose, a behavior to change, hitting the gym five days a week, running a marathon — so you have time to think about it and give it meaning. Then communicate it to the people in your life so it is not a surprise on January 1. Tell them what the goal is and how they can support you, so they can help set aside the time and make it an enhancement rather than a strain.
Because a goal without a time on the calendar collides with real life. If you plan to hit the gym five days a week, decide exactly when, and make sure your spouse and family know, so it enhances your life instead of creating strain at home. Setting the schedule in November lets you make adjustments before you start, so on January 1 everyone already knows what is going to happen.
Start now. If your goal is the gym five days a week and you have set the goal, communicated it, scheduled it, and gathered the knowledge, then begin in November with just one day a week. That is a small commitment, and you can add a little at a time through December. By January 1 you are only adding a couple of days a week to an existing habit instead of overhauling your life overnight.
I make Physical Friday for fishing guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen who want to stay strong and capable for life. I walk through the full breakdown in the audio above, so press play and listen along.
I love New Year’s resolutions because they are a natural time to reflect and change, but most never get met — it is literally how gyms make their money, signing up January crowds who vanish by March. When I look at my own failed resolutions and other people’s, the same roadblocks show up every time. The good news is they can be removed. I lay out the pattern in the episode, so press play in the player above.
The countdown starts with setting a specific goal now in November, so you have time to give it real meaning, and then communicating it to your family and friends. When the people around you know the goal and how to support you, it stops being a January 1 surprise and becomes something they help protect. I explain how to frame that conversation in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Next is setting the actual schedule — deciding when you will train and making sure home life is on board — and then gathering any knowledge you need. Do you know where the gym is, do you have a membership, do you need to meet a trainer? Handle it in advance so January 1 is not a scramble. I walk through how I prep both in the episode, so press play in the player above.
The top way to eliminate every roadblock is to start now. If the goal is five days a week, begin with one day a week in November and build, so by January 1 you are only adding a couple of days to a habit you already own. Little by little beats overnight every time. I get into how to ramp it in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Press play in the player above to get the full breakdown.
Resolutions do not fail because people lack willpower. They fail because the roadblocks were never cleared and the start was delayed until the hardest possible moment.
Set the goal, communicate it, schedule it, learn what you need, and start now. Listen to the full countdown by pressing play in the player above.
New Year’s resolutions · goal setting · habit building · accountability · scheduling · gym membership · marathon training · Physical Friday
Physical Friday is my weekly fitness series for fishing guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen — the training, nutrition, and mindset to stay in the game for life. Watch and listen to every Physical Friday episode from Tom Rowland.
I am Tom Rowland — a Florida Keys fishing guide for more than 30 years, a competitive angler, a lifelong CrossFit athlete, and the host of the Tom Rowland Podcast. I started Physical Friday because staying strong, mobile, and durable is what lets all of us keep hunting, fishing, and chasing the outdoors for life. I train the same way I want you to: simple, consistent, repeatable.
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