I don’t know about you, but I take my New Year’s resolutions seriously. Maybe it’s the look of a fresh planner that motivates me to get organized and set new goals or maybe it’s all the hype around me, but whatever it is, I’m religious about setting resolutions as the clock strikes midnight. It’s smooth sailing at first, but more times than not, my goals only stick for a month or two before I’m back to my old routine.

This is the year I plan to see my goals through or at least make enough change that I feel accomplished. At the top of my list this year is waking up early. It’s my absolute biggest struggle and more than that, waking up late is terrible for business. On the flipside, I can stay up working until 3-4am, but I should not be doing that at the expense of a productive morning.

I’ve had many setbacks on my journey to become an early riser, but here are the top 5 ways I plan to keep my resolution going through 2018 and hopefully even longer.

1. Remember Why You Set Your Goal
   “Remember Why You Started” is one of my mantras. It’s hard to keep going if you forget the reason behind what you’re doing, so I keep reminding myself that I decided to start waking up early in order to be a more productive and successful businesswoman.
2. Track Your Progress
   It always helps to be able to look back and see your progress, so I jot down my wake-up times in my daily planner. That way I’m also able to see how many more tasks I accomplished that day because I woke up early.  
3. Reward Yourself
   There’s nothing quite like positive reinforcement. Every month, if you feel successful in your goal, reward yourself. For me, that’s usually a night out with my husband.
4. Tweak Your Resolution If Needed
   If you find yourself constantly failing, tweak your goal a bit. I would love to wake up at 6am everyday, but that’s not realistic for me, so I set the time later based on what I honestly think is manageable.
5. Find Someone To Help Motivate You
   I’m lucky that I have a live-at-home cheerleader. My husband always makes sure my alarm is set and some mornings he even entices me out of bed with freshly brewed coffee. Having someone constantly pushing me to reach my goal is the best motivation, but a friend, sibling, or roommate would work just as well.

OUTFIT BREAKDOWN:
Black Twist-Back Sweater: ASOS (c/o)
Black Zippered Pleather Mini Skirt: ASOS (c/o)
Black Polka Dotted Tights: M6 (c/o)
Moonbeam Druzy Drop Earrings: BaubleBar (c/o)
Black Monogrammed Box Bag: The Daily Edited (c/o)
Black Heel Booties: M4D3 (c/o)

xx Esther