The ABA Blueprint for Achievable New Year’s Resolutions

Are your New Year’s resolutions starting to feel out of reach? Ready to make your New Year’s resolutions stick? Join hosts Brittany (RBT), Leslie (MPH), and Paola (BCBA) as they dive into how Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) can help you set realistic goals and make lasting changes. Discover practical, research-backed ABA strategies to turn your resolutions into actionable steps and create a system for success. Whether you want to get fit, save money, or be more productive; learn how to define goals, reinforce progress, and tackle obstacles with techniques like task analysis, self-monitoring, and positive reinforcement. Listen in to turn your resolutions into achievable steps and make lasting changes. 

In this episode, we cover how to:

• Define clear, measurable goals using ABA principles for goal-setting.
• Use positive reinforcement to stay motivated and overcome procrastination 
• Break down large resolutions into small, manageable tasks with task analysis.
• Incorporate self-monitoring techniques to track your progress and adjustment when needed. 
• Manage obstacles and setbacks by focusing on flexibility and resilience.

 

Stay tuned for our next episode, where we’ll teach you how to apply ABA strategies to your job search, including setting goals, refining your approach with data, and staying motivated.

• Follow us on Instagram: @EveryDayABA.3 
• Share your resolutions and progress—we’d love to feature your success stories!
• Don’t forget to follow and leave a 5-star review so others can discover how ABA can transform their everyday lives.

 

Key ABA Strategies Discussed:

• Operational Definitions: Learn why vague resolutions like "get fit" or "save money" into specific, trackable goals
• Positive Reinforcement: Learn to reward yourself effectively to boost motivation and drive consistent progress.
• Task Analysis: Break down goals into small, achievable steps.
• Self-Monitoring and Prompting: Use tools like checklists, habit-tracking apps, and reminders to keep yourself accountable.
• Flexibility and Resilience: Understand how to adapt your approach when challenges arise and focus on progress, not perfection.

 

Choose one resolution for this year and apply these ABA strategies:

1. Redefine your resolution into a clear, measurable goal.
2. Use task analysis to break it into achievable steps.
3. Identify a personal reinforcer to reward your progress.
4. Use a tracking system to monitor your achievements and adjust as needed.

 

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CEU Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to create personal goals that align with the dimension of ABA.
2. Participants will apply positive reinforcement to sustain goal-directed behaviors
3. Participants will Implement self-monitoring and prompting strategies to increase task completion rates. 
4. Participants will analyze potential barriers to maintaining behavior change and formulate strategies to overcome these barriers 

References:  We incorporated findings from behavioral science to support our strategies:

• Burke, L. E., Wang, J., & Sevick, M. A. (2011). Self-Monitoring in Weight Loss: A Systematic Review of the Literature.
• Conroy, D. E., Yang, C. H., & Maher, J. P. (2014). Behavior Change T