Realistic Tips to Make New Year’s Resolutions You Can Stick To

People make New Year’s resolutions to abandon bad habits, try something new, and change their lives for the better. Yet, despite good intentions, many of us abandon these resolutions in a month or two. Keep reading to find out how to stick to New Year's resolutions and turn your goals into reality. 

Why do our New Year’s resolutions fail? 

About half of Americans make resolutions for the next year in early January. Yet, most of these resolutions, fail, and here’s why: 

1. Setting unrealistic goals. Writing a long list of ambitious goals is a common mistake. People focus on many things at a time and struggle to achieve measurable progress in at least some of them. 
2. Not feeling accountable. Reaching your yearly goals requires discipline. Plus, you will need to change your daily habits. It is hard to do when you don’t have an accountability partner or external support from family and friends. 
3. Not feeling the need for a change. If you don’t feel that inner urge to change something in your life, your resolutions are likely to fail. Your goals should reflect your vision of the future, and you should be ready to work towards them and leave your comfort zone. 
4. Lack of specifics. Resolutions like “I want to start running and cycling” and “I want to look better” often fail. If you don’t know how to measure success in achieving your goal, you’ll hardly reach it. 

7 Tips & strategies to turn your New Year’s resolutions into reality 

Get clear on your “why”

When writing resolutions, many people look at the surface level and don’t know their inner motivation. For example, you can make a resolution “I want to get a promotion”. While this is a great resolution, why do you want to do it? Do you want to earn more to provide for your kids, to feel that your input is valued in the company, or because your old friend got promoted last year and you don’t want to lag behind? 

To keep New Year promises, take the time to reflect on why you’d like to achieve each particular goal. Say, if you think “I want to eat more fruit and vegetables this year because it helps me stay fit and feel energized”, you are more likely to keep this resolution because you know why you are doing it. 

Set SMART goals 

Setting goals in the right way helps you achieve them. One of the most popular approaches to goal-setting is to write SMART goals. 

SMART is an acronym meaning that your goals should be: 

• Specific (not “start exercising”, but “go to the gym twice a week”)
• Measurable (such as “lose 10 pounds” or “get promoted to Senior Software Developer”)
• Achievable (don’t promise yourself to learn German fluently in six months if you now know only five words) 
• Relevant (think about why reaching this goal matters to you) 
• Time-bound (set the month and day when you want to achieve the goal). 

Thus, “I want to lose 12 pounds by June 2025 to look fit and be healthier before my vacation starts” is an example of a SMART goal. With such a goal, you clearly see what you’d like to achieve and why it matters to you, so you will stay motivated and take daily steps to reach it. 

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Make a detailed plan 

Now that you have clearly defined your goal, break it down into small, achievable steps. Big and ambitious goals may intimidate us as subconsciously we don’t think they are realistic. Yet, once we break them down into smaller milestone goals and daily routines, they look simple and achievable. 

For example, your goal is to lose 12 pounds in six months. Here are the smaller goals you can set to achieve the big one: 

• Start going to the gym two times a week 
• Cycle for one hour three times a week
• Replace sweet treats with nuts, fruit, and dry fruit
• Add more vegetables to your diet
• Replace sugary drinks with mineral water. 

Now, incorporate the specific steps into your daily routine. For example, today you are having a fresh salad for dinner instead of pasta, and tomorrow you are going to a gym before the office. Such planning takes time, but it brings better results. 

Have a plan B 

Sometimes even the best plans fail. Despite your efforts, you might struggle to lose weight, you can start smoking again, or you might be overlooked for a promotion. 

In this case, think about what you can do to stay on track. What other ways to achieve your goal can you try? Maybe, you need to try a different diet, other types of exercise, or consult an expert. If you aren’t getting a promotion for a second year despite working late hours and putting in extra effort, it’s time to think about whether the company values you.

Reconsider your plan every month or twice a month, and be ready to take action if you aren’t moving towards your goal. 

Set one goal at a time

If your plan for the New Year is to run a half-marathon, build a long-term relationship, and get that long-awaited promotion, you’re likely to end up feeling frustrated and apathetic. Too many ambitious goals can exhaust you rather than inspire you. 

To make resolutions work, try picking one big goal and committing all your effort to it. Any significant change in life requires you to modify your behaviors and daily actions. By focusing on one thing at a time, you’ll incorporate new habits and reach your goal faster. Moreover, seeing real progress will boost your self-belief and give you energy for new goals. 

If your main resolution is to strengthen the ties with your friends or family, remember that holidays is the best time to do it. For example, you can invite everyone to participate in a Secret Santa gift exchange. Here’s how it works: players draw names to find out who gives a present to whom, and then prepare a gift to the assigned person secretly. 

Also Read:

How to play Secret Santa in a company with 100+ employees

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With the MySanta app, you can draw names in seconds remotely and see the game progress. Plus, each player can add a wishlist and help the other player choose a perfect gift for them. Then, players gather to exchange gifts and have fun, which helps bonding with your close friends. 

Try our MySanta app

You can create wishlists, add exclusions, and communicate with your gifree secretly. Moreover, there is an option to track gifts and ensure that everyone buys a present on time.

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Avoid making past mistakes

Chances are, you made resolutions in the past and you haven’t achieved your goal. If this goal still matters for you and you want to reach it in 2025, be strategic. Ask yourself about why you failed in 2024 or 2023. What were the biggest setbacks that stood in the way? What were the most and least successful strategies? 

For example, you wanted to land a high-paying job with a corporation. Why didn’t you get that job in 2024? Maybe, you didn’t know how to present yourself effectively during a job interview, or lacked some crucial skills for such a job. Or, you were perfectly qualified but were scared to leave your comfort zone. Reflecting on it will help you avoid past mistakes and boost your chances for success. 

Make yourself accountable 

To stick to your resolutions, make a promise to your significant other, a family member, or a close friend that you will meet your goals. Thus, you will not want to let them down and keep working towards your goals even when it’s challenging. 

Another great strategy is finding an accountability buddy who wants to meet their New Year’s resolutions just like you. Stay in touch with your buddy to inspire each other, share your small wins, and encourage when things don’t go as planned. You’ll be motivated more when you get support for achieving goals.

Last but not least, remember to celebrate even small wins. Rewarding yourself for small successes will keep your motivation high and encourage you to keep moving. 

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