Did you know about 80% of people don’t achieve their New Year’s resolutions? That number is according to Forbes, but you’ll find a lot of similar stats online.
The fact is that most people don’t keep their New Year’s resolutions. Yet, here we are, busy thinking about all the opportunities Jan. 1 brings and what we’ll do with the new year.
So, what’s the secret to actually doing those things, assuming you really want to? Here’s some advice on how to keep your New Year’s resolution.
Start With the Right Resolution
Perhaps the most important factor in keeping your resolution is the resolution itself. If your goal is too lofty or you aren’t truly committed to it, chances are you’ll fizzle out by the third week of the new year, if not before.
To set yourself up for success, make sure your resolution is specific, meaningful, and attainable.
Be Specific
Instead of a broad goal like “get healthier,” define what that means for you. Is it exercising three times a week? Drinking a certain amount of water a day? Cooking healthful meals at home at least five days a week? The more precise your resolution, the easier it will be to track your progress and stay focused.
Make It Meaningful
Your resolution should align with your values and reflect something you genuinely want to achieve. The “why” behind your resolution is critical. You won’t always be motivated, even when doing something important to you. So, you have to be clear on why you’re doing it and be able to hone in on that reason when you don’t want to do the thing.
For example, maybe you want to focus on your health this year because you just turned 40 and that’s when your mother started developing heart issues. You want to maintain your health for yourself, but also so you can be active with your children and grandchildren. These are excellent whys.
Set Realistic Goals
We want it all, and we want it now. It’s a huge societal fault. It’s also unrealistic.
What you do consistently is more important in every way than huge, drastic changes you can’t maintain.
Resolutions that feel impossible can quickly lead to burnout or frustration. Break your goal into manageable steps and ensure it fits your lifestyle and commitments.
For example, if you’ve never run before, aiming to complete a marathon by March is too much. Committing to run/walk a mile three times a week is more feasible.
Break It Down Into Smaller Steps
I read 200 books a year, but I didn’t always read that much.
I’ve always been a reader but never challenged myself to make it a priority.
My first goal was to read 100 books in a year, or about nine books a month. I easily accomplished that, so I set the goal to read 150 books in a year, or about 13 books a month. That one was much more challenging, so I did it for several years, just to let the habit really simmer. Finally, I set the goal to read 200 books in a year, which is about 17 books a month. I barely reached the goal last year. I won’t hit it this year. So, I’m trying again next year.
The point is you have to know what your goal looks like in action to make it happen. You need to break it down into bite-sized chunks.
Set Mini Goals
Instead of focusing solely on the end result, identify small, actionable tasks that move you closer to your resolution. For example:
- Instead of “save $5,000 this year,” start with “save $100 this month.”
- Instead of “run a 5K,” begin with “run for 10 minutes three times a week.”
- Instead of “read 100 books,” try reading 10 books this month.
Smaller goals feel more achievable and give you quick wins, which can motivate you to keep going.
Prioritize
Trying to do too much at once can lead to burnout. Focus on one step at a time, mastering it before moving on to the next. For instance, if you resolve to eat healthier, start by cooking one homemade meal a week. Once that feels easy, add another meal or incorporate more vegetables into your diet.
Also, prioritize your resolutions. You probably aren’t going to quit smoking, cut out fast food, and run a marathon this year. Instead, set one goal that you think will make the most impact. Focus your whole self on it. Then, when it becomes a habit, add another goal, maybe even next year.
Set Milestones
Breaking your resolution into milestones creates natural checkpoints to celebrate progress and reassess your approach. For example, I know I need to be halfway to my reading goal in July. If I’m not, I need to adjust, or I won’t reach my goal.
Maybe that’s also part of the reason I’m okay with not reaching my reading goal this year. I’ve known it was likely since July. I didn’t read enough during the first part of the year to reach my goal without sacrificing enjoyment, which I wasn’t willing to do. Still, I didn’t stop reading or making progress. I’ll probably end the year having read about 175 books.
Record Progress
Keep a record of your smaller steps to see how far you’ve come. Use tools like a habit tracker, journal, or app to log your actions. Tracking keeps you organized and provides a sense of accomplishment as you check off each step. It also helps you celebrate your overall win, even if you don’t reach your goal. Maybe you didn’t run three times a week, but you ran twice a week every week and three times on many weeks. That’s still more than you were doing before you set the goal.
Create a Plan and Track Your Progress
Have you heard that a goal without a plan is just a wish? It’s totally true. The time won’t just appear to work on your resolution, so you have to make a plan.
To ensure you stay on track, map out a clear strategy for achieving your goals and consistently monitor your progress. This structure keeps you organized and helps you stay motivated by showing how far you’ve come.
Develop a Clear Plan
Start by outlining the specific steps you need to take to achieve your goal. Break it down into daily, weekly, or monthly tasks, depending on the scope of your resolution. For example, if you resolve to get fit, your plan might include:
- Week 1: Start with 20-minute workouts, three times a week.
- Week 2: Increase workout duration to 30 minutes.
- Week 3: Add a variety of exercises, like strength training or cardio.
Having a step-by-step guide makes it easier to stay organized and focused on what you need to do at each stage.
Set Deadlines and Timelines
Along with outlining your steps, set realistic deadlines for when you want to accomplish each task. This will keep you accountable and help prevent procrastination. For example, if your goal is to save money, set deadlines for specific savings milestones, like saving $300 by the end of the first quarter.
Use Tools to Track Your Progress
There is something amazing about keeping a streak. One year, a friend and I resolved to exercise for 20 minutes every day. I printed a physical calendar and highlighted the day after I did my 20 minutes. Once I had a few consecutive days highlighted, I did not want to mess up my streak.
Tracking your progress is key to staying motivated and adjusting your plan as needed.
Review and Reflect Regularly
Schedule weekly or monthly check-ins to evaluate your progress. During these reviews, ask yourself:
- Have I been consistent with my actions?
- What’s working well?
- Are there areas where I need to adjust my plan?
Reflecting on your progress allows you to make necessary adjustments and ensures you’re staying on track. If something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to tweak your plan and try a different approach.
Celebrate Milestones
This is my favorite tip. Don’t wait until the end to celebrate. Acknowledge and reward your progress as you reach milestones along the way. This can be as simple as treating yourself to something small, like a favorite snack or an afternoon off. Celebrating small victories keeps your morale high and encourages you to continue pushing forward.
Build Support and Accountability
Remember how I told you that a friend and I did 20 minutes of exercise a day one year? Well, now we’ve built it to 40 minutes a day. We monitor it on our Apple Watches and send each other our screenshots every evening. Being accountable to each other makes us meet our exercise goals, even on days when we don’t want to do it.
When you involve others in your goal-setting process, you create a network of support and accountability that keeps you motivated and on track.
Share Your Goals With Trusted People
One of the simplest ways to build accountability is to share your resolution with friends, family, or colleagues. Letting others know your goals can help you stay committed because they’ll check in on your progress or offer encouragement. For example, people often ask me how I’m doing on my reading goal.
Partner Up
An accountability partner, like the friend I described above, can be a game-changer. It could be someone with a similar goal or simply someone who’s committed to checking in with you. Regular updates can provide motivation and a sense of responsibility. There are days I exercise only because I don’t want to let her down, and I know she will have done it. I’m sure it’s the same for her.
Join a Group or Community
Communities dedicated to personal growth can provide both accountability and inspiration. Look for local meetups, online forums, or social media groups centered around your resolution. Being part of a group of like-minded people working toward similar goals can keep you engaged and offer valuable tips and encouragement.
Leverage Technology for Accountability
Our phones and watches are such amazing tools! Apps can help you track your progress and stay accountable. Many apps allow you to connect with others for added motivation. For example:
- Fitness apps let you share workout stats with friends.
- Habit-tracking apps like Habitica or Streaks gamify your progress.
- Budgeting apps like Mint or YNAB help you stay on track financially.
Consider Professional Support
For more challenging goals, consider enlisting the help of a professional, such as a coach, trainer, or therapist. These experts can provide tailored guidance, regular check-ins, and a structured plan to help you succeed. For example, a nutritionist could help you create a meal plan that aligns with your health goals, while a financial advisor could guide you in managing debt or saving.
Celebrate Together
Accountability isn’t just about being monitored. It’s also about sharing your wins. Let your support system know when you reach milestones and celebrate together. Whether it’s a small accomplishment or a major goal achieved, sharing your success can boost morale and keep you motivated to tackle the next challenge.
Anticipate Challenges
Any goal worth achieving will have some challenges along the way. That’s because setbacks are a normal part of any journey toward meaningful change. The key to keeping your New Year’s resolution is to prepare for obstacles and adapt as needed rather than letting them derail your progress.
Identify Potential Obstacles
Take some time to think about the challenges you might face in achieving your resolution. I can almost promise you that your motivation will be one. What will you do on the days that you just don’t want to exercise or eat healthy? How will you handle it when you’re with a group of people and some are smoking? By anticipating these hurdles, you can create strategies to overcome them before they arise.
Learn From Setbacks
None of us are perfect. We aren’t going to be 100% all the time. Setbacks are opportunities to learn and adjust, not to beat ourselves up or quit. When obstacles arise, take a moment to reflect on what happened and how you can prevent it in the future.
For example, if you’re trying to eliminate excess spending and go on a shopping spree one weekend, don’t throw all your other efforts out the window. Instead, be curious and try to understand what made you shop. Then, start working on your goal again.
Part of achieving goals is learning about yourself along the way.
Practice Self-Compassion
When you stray from your goal, it doesn’t say anything personal about you. The only thing it says is that if the goal is really important to you, you need to refocus on it. Instead of focusing on what went wrong, acknowledge your efforts and remind yourself that setbacks are part of the process. Treat yourself with kindness, show yourself some grace, and get back on track.
Stay Flexible
Your resolution doesn’t have to be set in stone. As circumstances change, it’s okay to adjust your goals or methods. For example, I’m sick this week and haven’t done my 40 minutes of exercise most days. But I was out of town last week and did way more than 40 minutes each day, so I’m going to call it even and restart as soon as I feel better.
Also, progress is progress. It’s not an all-or-nothing endeavor. I’m not exercising for 40 minutes a day while I’m sick, but I’m still trying to get in some exercise every day.
Focus on the Big Picture
When setbacks happen, it’s easy to lose sight of why you started. Reconnect with the larger purpose behind your resolution. Remind yourself of the benefits you’ll experience by sticking with it, and use that motivation to keep moving forward.
Focus on Building Habits, Not Just Achieving Goals
A really valuable New Year’s resolution helps you accomplish a goal that changes your life for the better, not just something that’s a one-off. For example, you don’t just want to eat a healthier diet or quit smoking for a year. You want to create a habit (or break one) that you can build off of to continue improving your life.
When I set my first reading goal, I didn’t just want to read 100 books. I had always loved reading, but I’d found I wasn’t making time for it, instead wasting away my evenings watching TV or scrolling on my phone. I wanted to refocus my attention on reading things that gave me joy and helped educate me in ways that improved my life. Now, even if I don’t set a reading goal (and there was at least one year since that first challenge that I didn’t), I still read 100-plus books in a year. It’s become a habit.
Focusing on building consistent, sustainable habits will help ensure your progress doesn’t fade once you reach the finish line. Here’s how.
Turn Goals Into Daily Actions
Instead of viewing your resolution as a distant objective, break it down into small, repeatable actions (like we mentioned above) that become part of your daily routine. For example:
- If your goal is to write a book, commit to writing for 30 minutes each day.
- If you want to save money, automate a small monthly transfer to your savings account.
These daily habits build momentum and help you make steady progress toward your larger goals.
Start Small and Build Gradually
Big changes can feel overwhelming, making it easy to give up. Instead, start with small, manageable actions that fit easily into your existing routine. Once the habit feels natural, build on it. For example:
- Begin with a five-minute meditation each morning, and gradually increase the time as it becomes part of your day.
- Start by swapping one unhealthy snack for a nutritious alternative, and expand to more meals over time.
Small steps make the process feel achievable and allow habits to develop naturally.
Use Habit Stacking
Habit stacking is a powerful technique for creating new habits by attaching them to existing ones. For example:
- If you already drink coffee every morning, use that time to read.
- Pair washing your hair with doing 10 calf raises to add movement to your routine.
By linking new habits to established ones, you make them easier to remember and integrate into your day.
Track and Reward Your Progress
I know I keep saying this, but there is magic in tracking your habits. It helps reinforce your behavior and gives you a reason to pat yourself on the back. These small celebrations can keep you motivated.
Focus on Consistency Over Perfection
Building habits is about being consistent, not perfect. It’s okay to miss a day or slip up occasionally. What matters is getting back on track as quickly as possible. Remind yourself that progress is made over time, and every small effort counts.
Make It Part of Your Identity
To truly integrate a habit, consider it part of who you are. Instead of saying, “I’m trying to exercise more,” tell yourself, “I’m someone who moves my body every day.” This mindset shift helps solidify the habit as a core part of your identity, making it more likely to stick.
Learn How To Keep Your New Year’s Resolution
Here’s the best secret to learning how to keep your New Year’s resolution — do it once. Once you set a realistic, important, measurable goal and achieve it once, you’ll want to build on it and do it again and again. You’ll also learn to be kind to yourself during the years that you don’t quite reach your goal because you’ll come to understand the value of progress.
Need some help setting and keeping a goal that’s important to you? A mental health professional can guide you through the process. If you’re looking for someone to support you, check out All Counseling’s therapist directory to find the help that’s right for you.
