Here we are, rolling along through the second month of a new decade, and already many of us have left our various New Year’s resolutions well behind. In the dust, even.

Save with SPP scoured the internet for an answer to this question – are there any tactics out there to help you keep your resolutions? What do the experts say?

The MSN Money blog has several ideas.

First, the blog recommends, “the way to achieve your big dreams is to start small… no one begins by lifting heavy weights seven days a week, they start with light weights and build muscle over time.”

Another suggestion from MSN Money is to develop “daily habits that support the results you want in the future.”

At the Men’s Journal site, there’s more interesting advice.

They suggest bribery as a resolution-meeting aid. “Say what? Yep, make a pact with yourself that you’ll get those new ski goggles only after you complete a month’s worth of consistent progress toward your new year’s fitness resolution,” the magazine suggests.

Another good bit of advice is setting written, specific goals, Men’s Journal advises. “I want to get fit” is not specific enough, instead you should write down “I want to run a mile in less than eight minutes and do 10 pull-ups.”

Other ideas include getting support for your efforts on social media, signing up for specific events, and forgetting perfection. “If you get sick and need to take a week off of training, or you get slammed at work and literally can’t carve out a block of time to get in the pool, acknowledge it and move on. Literally. Get back into your routine as soon as possible rather than staying away because of one small blip,” the magazine suggests.

The Toronto Star has a few more for us to ponder.

Don’t be afraid to “switch up your plan” if it isn’t working, and examine you’re plan to “look at why you’re failing.” If the plan’s not working, change it, the Star advises. The paper advises you to be realistic in goal-setting, and to “make new habits,” so that you have things to do instead of the old bad habits you are trying to break.

Save with SPP can add a couple ideas to this list. Start small, and then ramp up over time. If you’re saving money, or paying off debt, this is a good tactic – chipping away works over time. This approach is good for a lot of things.

So if you’re lagging behind in a New Year’s goal of saving for retirement, take a look at the Saskatchewan Pension Plan. Unlike a workplace pension plan, where contributions at some pre-set amount are deducted from your pay, you can start as small as you want and then step up your contributions when you can. You contributions are professionally invested at a low fee, and when it’s time to retire, SPP can set you up with a lifetime pension. Check them out today.

Written by Martin Biefer
	Martin Biefer is Senior Pension Writer at Avery & Kerr Communications in Nepean, Ontario. A veteran reporter, editor and pension communicator, he’s now a freelancer. Interests include golf, line dancing and classic rock. He and his wife live with their Shelties, Duncan and Phoebe, and cat, Toobins. You can follow him on Twitter – his handle is @AveryKerr22