In part two of this series, Monica shares five more strategies to help you stick to your goals and make lasting changes. Learn how to reward yourself, remove obstacles, stay accountable, reframe setbacks, and embrace patience with relatable examples and encouragement.
In part two of this series, Monica shares five more strategies to help you stick to your goals and make lasting changes. Learn how to reward yourself, remove obstacles, stay accountable, reframe setbacks, and embrace patience with relatable examples and encouragement.
Savvy Psychologist is hosted by Dr. Monica Johnson. A transcript is available at Simplecast.
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It’s the New Year and I’m here to help you actually accomplish one or two of those resolutions. If you’re one of those people, who have denounced resolutions this year, don’t worry—I won’t tell anyone that you’re still trying to improve yourself this year. This is part 2, so if you didn’t listen to part 1 on building consistent habits, listen to that one first, or if you’re a rebel, do it after you finish this episode, I don’t mind.
Welcome back to Savvy Psychologist, I'm your host, Dr. Monica Johnson. Every week on this show, I'll help you face life's challenges with evidence-based approaches, a sympathetic ear, and zero judgment.
Example: Anna wants to exercise regularly. She loves watching a particular TV show, so she only allows herself to watch it while she's on the treadmill. The immediate reward of entertainment makes exercising more enjoyable.
Listen, some of us need some sort of immediate gratification and you want to learn to work around that. Don’t judge it but also don’t use it as a reason to not challenge yourself.
Example: Rebecca wants to start eating healthier. She preps meals for the week every Sunday and keeps cut-up fruits and veggies at eye level in the fridge. This makes healthy eating the default choice when she's hungry.
Example: Jamar wants to wake up earlier. He tells his friend Dwayne about his goal and asks Dwayne to call him every morning at 6 a.m. for a quick chat. Knowing someone is counting on him helps him stay consistent.
All peer pressure isn’t bad. I am an introvert that you will almost never find working out alone. Why? Because I cheat. If I’m watching a video or working out in the gym alone and I’m supposed to do 10, I’ll do 8. If I’m in a class and I know we are all here together, I always want to do my part which means I’m far less likely to cheat. I want to honor the space and honor the people who put in the effort to show up.
Example: Lisa plans to go to yoga three times a week but misses a session because of a late meeting. Instead of giving up, she reflects on the setback and adjusts her schedule to attend a class at a different time.
This is so important because I see so many people give up as soon as a hiccup occurs. Life will never give you an open runway. When you experience these setbacks, regroup, and adjust in a way that is reasonable for you and allows you to continue making progress on whatever your goal is at that time.
Example: Emma wants to learn a new language. After a few weeks, she still struggles with basic phrases and feels discouraged. Instead of quitting, she reminds herself that progress takes time and celebrates small wins, like correctly pronouncing a new word.
An old adage comes to mind for me here. You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. Cheerleading yourself will almost always get you further in the long term. A kind word to yourself makes it so much easier to wake up and approach the hard thing.
The truth is, habits aren’t about being perfect; they’re about showing up, even when you don’t feel like it. Some days, showing up might mean crushing a 5K run. Other days, it might mean putting on your running shoes and going on a 5 minute walk. And guess what? Both are wins, because you’re reinforcing the idea that this habit is part of who you are.
So be kind to yourself. Celebrate the small wins—a single glass of water, a one-minute meditation, or reading half a page of that book you’ve been meaning to finish since 2019. Habits are built brick by brick, and even the wobbliest bricks are better than none.
And remember, it’s okay to laugh at your missteps. Forgot your habit entirely for a week? Call it a "creative pause." Missed a gym session? You’ve invented “active rest.” The point is to keep going, because the magic of habits lies not in perfection, but in persistence.
So go ahead—be the wonderfully imperfect human you are. Keep stacking those tiny wins, reward yourself with things that make you smile, and never underestimate the power of simply trying again tomorrow.
What’s a habit that you are working on? Let me know! You can contact me via Instagram @kindmindpsych or via my email at psychologist@quickanddirtytips.com.
The Savvy Psychologist is a Quick and Dirty Tips podcast. It's audio engineered by Steve Riekeberg, with script editing by Brannan Goetschius. Our Podcast and Advertising Operations Specialist is Morgan Christiansen. Our Digital Operations Specialist is Holly Hutchings and Our Marketing and Publicity Associate is Davina Tomlin. Nathaniel Hoopes is our Marketing contractor. Follow Savvy Psychologist on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. That's all for this episode of Savvy Psychologist. Thanks for listening! I'll see you next week.