How To Stick To Your New Year’s Resolutions

Ah, New Year’s resolutions. Those lofty goals we never quite seem to meet. We’ve all set them, right? Once in our lives, we’ve resolved to eat healthier, or quit drinking caffeine, or stop swearing, or something else totally ridiculous, haven’t we? We have. If you say you haven’t, you’re lying to yourself. 

Don’t be ashamed if you’ve failed a New Year’s resolution though. We all just admitted to it. And for good reason – New Year’s resolutions are notoriously hard to keep. And why are they so hard to keep? Many reasons. 

Extreme lifestyle changes are difficult to maintain without proper support, and bold goals are nearly impossible to meet without forethought. Instead of attempting some spur-of-the-moment idea, you came up with while making small talk with an acquaintance on New Year’s Eve, use these tips to finally stick to your New Year’s resolution. 

Put Thought Into Your Goals

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Take time to determine your New Year’s resolution. Make it something you actually want to achieve, not just a half-baked (or half-buzzed – pick your poison) idea you formulated two hours before the ball drops. Consider your five-year or 10-year plan.

If you don’t even think about New Year’s resolutions until the New Year actually begins, don’t sweat it. You can begin a couple of weeks later, just as long as those first couple weeks are spent strategizing and planning. It’s going to take work and thought to meet your goals, and you don’t want to enter them unprepared. But more on that later. To start, pick something relevant, and something you actually want to meet. 

Set Attainable Goals

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It’s harder to stick to resolutions than it is to set them, but one reason so many people struggle to keep their resolutions is they set impossible goals. And a resolution is just a goal, right? 

Be realistic. Don’t resolve to work out 90 minutes every day with no current workout regimen (also, don’t work out every day – that’s super unhealthy). Create resolutions you can actually keep. Sure, it’s important to challenge yourself and grow, but it’s got to be attainable, otherwise, you run the risk of not sticking to it. 

It’s good to set a New Year’s resolution associated with your five-year or 10-year plan, or a dream you’ve had your entire life, but far too many people choose a New Year’s resolution that’s five or 10 years away. You’re not going to become a billionaire in one month. Instead, choose a resolution within reach that aligns with your goal, not something that’ll drive you to drink – especially if your resolution is to cut back on alcohol. 

If your dream is to join a rock band, take guitar lessons. If you’re looking to get back in shape, hire a trainer to create a workout plan that meets you where you are. Don’t shoot for the moon if you haven’t got a rocket to ride. 

Don’t Set Too Many Goals

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People also often fail to stick to their resolutions because they set too many. Don’t do that, especially if you’ve never stuck to one before. If last year you canceled your gym membership by March, start with one goal for 2022. 

Realize that there are different types of resolutions. Some are goals that you want to meet before the end of the year. Others are behaviors or attitudes you want to adopt for the entire year.

Determine whether your resolution is a goal or a lifestyle change, and if you have more than one, categorize and prioritize. With lifestyle changes, know they’re not easy to make, especially when you try to do too much at once. You can’t expect yourself to get up earlier, eat healthier, work out more, and be more positive within 24 hours. Those changes take time.

Choose one lifestyle change to begin with, and add more during the year if you’re ready. With goals, you can always set new ones. You don’t have to wait until January 1st to work toward a new goal. In fact, you shouldn’t.

If you have multiple goals you want to achieve this year, work on them one at a time, and move on to new ones once you’ve reached them. This will keep you focused and not overwhelm you. You’ll feel a lot better about yourself if you’re still at the gym in October instead of wearing a t-shirt to the beach in June. 

Be Specific

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Setting unspecified goals is easy. We all say we want to get in shape, or finally write that novel, but getting in shape and writing a novel is hard. Most goals are, especially when they’re unstructured and lack steps. Be specific when setting your resolution.

If your resolution is a lifestyle change, be specific about how you’re going to integrate it into your life. Say your goal is to work out more. Define more. Is it three times a week? Is it adding 10 minutes of cardio to each workout? For goal-oriented resolutions, state exactly what you want to achieve, and make a plan to meet them.

If you want to write a book, create a timeline with smaller goals for each month, week, or day. Plan to write a few thousand words each week. Schedule the date you need to finish your first draft. Have the details worked out. None of us like to do something if we have no idea what we’re doing. Make it easier on yourself by being specific. 

Create a Realistic Timeline

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Timelines are crucial, especially if your resolution is goal-oriented. But what’s more important is making sure they’re realistic. You can’t get a six-pack in a week, and you can’t write a book in a day. You’re a man, not a machine. Determine a timeline that’ll yield results, not work against you and cause you to fail.

Think about your life when you’re creating a timeline. Are you currently working 60 hours a week? Do you have a two-week luxury vacation booked over spring break? Instead of adding a half-hour to your daily workouts, add 10 minutes. Schedule writing breaks while you’re on vacation.  

Make your resolutions work for you. Don’t expect too much when it comes to a resolution, because it’s something you’re adding to your life. Habits take time to develop, and being realistic in that development and planning makes a world of difference.

Write Down Your Resolutions

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If you’ve read anything about manifestation, you know experts say to write down whatever it is you’re hoping to manifest. That dream job you want to land? Write that you want it. The lake house with a private dock you know is going to be for sale within a couple of years? Write that you want it. The same goes for New Year’s resolutions. They’re essentially manifestations, aren’t they? 

Write down specifically what you want to achieve, and put it somewhere you can see and will refer back to often. Put a sticky note on your mirror reminding you to work out today. Pencil into your calendar your guitar lessons for the entire year. Write exactly what you want and how you’re going to get it and refer to it often. 

Find An Accountability Partner

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Goals are not met on their own. Fitness instructors often suggest finding an accountability partner, as do sobriety coaches. Why? They know it’s not easy to achieve things alone. Motivation waxes and wanes, as does discipline. Both are needed to stick to resolutions. 

Finding an accountability partner will help you meet your goals and stick to your lifestyle changes regardless, but especially if they have similar resolutions. Meet for a game of racquetball to close the fitness rings on your Apple Watch. Compare notes of your novels when you hit a tough spot in your plot. Commit not only to yourself but to another person. 

And don’t just work on your goals together, talk about them. Set lunch dates or grab a coffee and go for a walk to discuss your goals. What’s been difficult? What’s been easy? Do you have tips for each other? Talk it out, and do so regularly. 

Re-evaluate at Different Points in the Year

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If you’re making a lifestyle change, it’s a resolution that should last all year. You can’t drink celery juice once and say you’re healthier (nice try though.) Check in at various times throughout the year to evaluate your progress. 

Have you successfully integrated a new workout regimen into your fitness routine? It might be time to add something new. Are you ready to perform a guitar solo at open mic night? Sign up and move on to the next step in your lessons. Always be looking to better yourself, not just in January. 

Scale Back if Necessary

On the flip side, you may be struggling to stick to your resolutions. This is common – far, far too common – but struggle does not have to equate failure. Struggle is part of success. Maybe you bit off more than you can chew. Maybe life got in the way, and other priorities have arisen, making it difficult to stick to the original plan. That’s okay – life gets in the way all the time. Don’t use it as an excuse to quit. 

Instead of telling yourself you’ll do better next year (because let’s be honest, will you do better next year?), scale back a bit. If a massive assignment from your boss has affected your writing time, cut down on words you expect to write per week. If you sprained your wrist golfing, take a few weeks off racquetball and schedule another for next month. 

It’s okay to make a change if necessary. It’s your resolution, and you may need to adjust at certain times throughout the year. Pick back up when you’re ready. 

Find Unique, Enjoyable Ways to Achieve Your Goals

Resolutions often go unmet because we choose something we don’t enjoy. Don’t resolve to get in shape by training for a marathon if you hate running. Don’t write a mystery novel if you hate mysteries. None of us want to do things we don’t enjoy. When you set your resolution, choose something you enjoy.

If you set a resolution unsure of whether or not you like it, it’s perfectly fine to change during the year. If it turns out you hate strength training, try pilates. Can’t stand the sound of the guitar? Switch to drums. Don’t force yourself to continue doing something you hate. New Year’s resolutions are about positive personal growth, and you’re far more likely to see growth if you’re doing something enjoyable.

Keep a Positive Attitude

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When meeting any goal, a New Year’s resolution or not, your mentality is everything. No one meets their goals through negative self-talk. Stay positive when working toward your goals, and be clear about what a positive attitude really is. 

It’s not necessary to hang a sign in your bedroom with a cheesy cliche that’s never actually motivated anyone, and it won’t work to tell yourself you’re going to do everything right every single day. That’s not positive thinking – that’s delusional thinking. 

A positive attitude means you believe in yourself and know that you’ve got the supports in place to meet your goals. If you fall, you won’t get down on yourself, and you’ll get back up and try again. Stay realistic about your goals and remind yourself you can try again. 

Don’t Expect Perfection

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Don’t just tell yourself you might fail, prepare yourself for it if it happens. That’s not said to discourage you from trying – it’s keeping a realistic outlook on your New Year’s resolution. 

One day you’re going to be swamped at work and miss a lesson. Reschedule it. A publisher is going to reject your first draft and tell you to try again. Don’t burn your manuscript. Be prepared for hiccups, take a breath, and continue. No one is perfect, and success doesn’t happen overnight, nor does it without setbacks. Expect them, learn from them, and use them to move forward and meet your resolution.