We hear it time and time again, how people set new year’s resolutions only to give up after a few months. Goal setting can be a great tool to help us make positive changes in our lives, but it’s not the only option.

While some of us enjoy the structure and clarity of setting goals, others may find it too rigid and overwhelming. There are lots of different approaches to identify and work towards the things we want in life. One such strategy is a more/less list.

We often don’t realise how much the little things we do each day affects our lives. A more/less list can help you reflect on your daily habits and whether they are helping or hindering you. From there, you can identify small changes you can make each day to improve your life. Not only is this technique more manageable, but it’s super simple to do.

1. List the things you’d like to do more of – consider what things you can start doing to improve your health and wellbeing. If you want to get in better shape, you may want to exercise more often or eat more vegetables. If you want to become more positive, you may want to do gratitude lists or meditate each day.

2. List the things you’d like to do less of – we all do things that aren’t the best for us at times. Consider negative habits you want to kick and little things you do that don’t support your health and wellbeing. If you want to get in better shape, you may want to eat less fried foods or spend less time watching TV. If you want to become more positive, you may want to complain less or limit negative thoughts.

3. Create a habit tracker – as an extra step, you can create a daily habit tracker to help you measure your progress with your more/less list. The simplest way to do this is to create a table where you can check off the items on your list that you complete each day. It can be a great visual cue to remind and motivate you.