5 Tips to Set New Year's Resolutions That Stick (Updated for 2026)
While January is a good times to make some lifestyle changes, most people struggle to stick with their New Year’s resolutions for a variety of reasons. Whether it’s too vague, too unrealistic, or simply too challenging, it’s easy to give up and then feel disappointed or even angry at yourself.
The good news is that there are ways to choose New Year’s resolutions that you can actually follow through on to get the results you’re hoping for. The key is to set them up differently, so that you’re more likely to stick to them and remain consistent.
Read on to find out how you can finally set New Year’s resolutions that stick.
Table of Contents
Tie The Goal To Something Meaningful
Make Your Resolution Specific and Action-Based
Create Smaller Goals
Get Better at Holding Yourself Accountable
Give Yourself a Break When You Mess Up
Tie the goal to something meaningful
It’s not enough to say you want to learn a new skill or hobby, or get healthy, or whatever else if you’re not entirely sure why you’re doing it.
Make sure that when you’re deciding what you want to commit to, you first clarify why this resolution is important to you.
It may seem obvious, but this is a step that is often neglected or taken for granted. You might just think it’s something you’re “supposed” to do, which only means you’ll feel guilty when you don’t meet unrealistic goals.
Think about the specific reasons why each goal important to you to make sure it’s not something you think you “should” do. “Should” is a chore, while “want” is a desire.
“Should” creates an obligation, and obligations are a chore. Chores aren’t very fun or motivating. Instead, see if you can reframe your resolution into an ongoing project that will naturally ebb and flow, but can remain consistent and meaningful.
Clarifying the deeper meaning underlying your New Year’s project gives you the option of choosing what’s more important to you whenever you don’t feel like it. You may not always feel like following through on a resolution you’ve set, but you can choose to engage in it anyway because it means something important to you.
Example:
Let’s say you’ve set a New Year’s Resolution to start walking everyday. Whether it’s outside or on a treadmill, your goal is to move your body everyday.
You might feel a burst of motivation at the beginning, but at some point you’ll likely not feel like it and be faced with a choice. Do you give in to temptation and skip your walk? Or do you get moving, even though you really don’t feel like it?
Your choice becomes much easier because you clarified the deeper meaning under your resolution. In this case, your goals might be:
Get more fresh air
Improve your mental health
Prioritize long-term mobility by moving your body
So unless you have an injury, are sick, or are intentionally taking a day off, the choice becomes clear. It’s far more important to prioritize your well-being and do the task when it’s tied to something meaningful and not just because you “should”.
Related: 10 Life-Changing Books to Read
Make Your Resolution specific and action-Based
Making your resolutions too vague or outcome-based is a big reason most resolutions fail. An example of this might be “get in shape” or “make a new friend.” These aren’t specific enough and it’s outcome-oriented (meaning, it’s out of your control).
Once you’ve decided what you’d like to work on, and the outcome you’re hoping for, check that you’re being specific enough about the actions you need to take.
For instance, “get healthy” is way too vague and there are any number of actions involved in healthy living. Consider what health means to you and what specific behaviors align with being healthier.
Same with “make a new friend.” This is an outcome you’re hoping for, but it’s out of your control. Instead, a better goal might be: “put myself out there, be friendly, and do more activities that widen my social network.” Choosing to engage in the activities, as well as how you show up, is within your control and likely to lead to more friends.
Getting specific on your actions also means it’s measurable. A vague, nebulous concept that’s hard to define is also hard to commit to. How will you know it’s working? Without defining your actions, there’s no way to really know if you’ve met your goals.
The other issue with outcome-oriented goals is that you can do everything “right” and still not get the result you want. This is usually what leads to giving up too soon. By focusing on what’s within your control (your behavior and attitude), you can continue to pursue your goals without getting so discouraged.
Create Smaller Goals
If consistency is an issue, instead of creating something for the whole year, try breaking down larger goals into smaller, more manageable, goals.
You may find that you prefer quarterly or monthly goals that tie into a larger intention for the year instead of the pressure of sustaining something year-round.
You could try creating a value-based word that defines your year and build your smaller goals around it. For instance, “health” or “connection” or “adventure”.
Your goals and abilities might change depending on the season, your overall health, work, or relationships. Taking a more flexible approach makes it more likely you stick with what you’ve committed to.
Examples:
Not sure what this might look like in practice? Here are some ideas to get you started:
If your New Year’s Resolution is to write a book, you may want to have a monthly goal of writing at least a few minutes every day. At the end of the month, do a quick check-in to see your progress and troubleshoot any issues.
If you want to get in shape, you might set a goal to walk or move your body for at least 20 minutes per day and check in every so often to see how it’s going. You can then adjust your workout as needed.
If you want to learn a new hobby or skill, set a small goal to practice each day or a certain amount of times per week.
These small goals are much easier to tackle and create less pressure than a big end-of-year outcome. It also makes them measurable enough to do a weekly or monthly check-in to see how you’re progressing and whether you need any additional resources or support.
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Get Better at Holding Yourself Accountable
While sharing your goals with others can help motivate you to stay committed, it’s often not enough to merely tell people.
To follow through, most people need to be held accountable. You need to learn how to hold yourself accountable and the best way to start is find an accountability partner.
Pick a friend or loved one that also wants to commit to a new habit or resolution and be each other’s accountability partner. Set parameters for how you’ll stay in touch regularly and decide how you’ll encourage each other during setbacks.
I recommend setting up a schedule for regular check-ins so you both stay committed to following through on your resolution. If one or both of you starts to slip, it’s an excellent chance for some compassion and encouragement.
If you find these meetings start to become few and far between, re-engage with why you chose this resolution in the first place and see if you can recommit. If your accountability partner isn’t as committed, you may need to find someone else.
Helping keep someone else accountable can also build up your own self accountability. Pay attention how you talk to your friend vs. how you talk to yourself when you’re struggling. You’re likely much more patient and compassionate, yet still honest with them. Try talking to yourself in the same way the next time you’re having trouble staying committed or consistent.
Give yourself a break when you Mess Up
One of the biggest setbacks when it comes to resolutions is the inevitable backsliding into old or even unhealthy habits that undermine your goals. This happens to everyone at some point, so it’s very important to have a cope ahead plan to deal with it.
Remember that if you hit a stumbling block and give up, you can always course correct by re-engaging with your resolution. Go back and look at that meaningful reason you started in the first place and remind yourself why it’s important to you.
Or maybe it’s less important and you need to redefine your goal or adjust your daily actions. Or it could be that the goal itself was unsustainable and needs to be adjusted.
You’ll also need to be realistic with yourself about the cost of stopping your actions. Even if you’ve slipped up for a long time, you didn’t really lose any of your previous progress because you’ll have gained valuable experience and insight.
You’ll be able to pinpoint what derailed you and put together a new cope ahead plan to offset any potential issues for next time. No amount of effort is ever truly wasted, even if it feels that way.
When faced with a choice to reengage or stop entirely, there will be a cost to both decisions:
The cost of starting again will likely be shame, frustration, and impatience
The cost of stopping entirely is losing out on any potential gains, as well as shame and frustration
Recognizing this can help you make space for any discomfort around starting again because the “easier” choice of stopping isn’t actually that easy.
No matter what, make sure you’re being patient, compassionate, and encouraging! These are 3 qualities that will help you stay committed, even when you don’t feel like it, or feel so discouraged that you want to quit.
Use these steps to set yourself up for a mindfully productive year! If at any point you start slipping or lose motivation, remember to be kind to yourself. It takes at least two months for new habits to stick, so give yourself a break if you struggle to implement.
For more help creating and maintaining new habits, check out my other post: How to Build Healthy Habits (and Stick to Them).
