Stop Setting New Year’s Resolutions. Do this Instead.
Why Resolutions Don’t Work
Up to 70% of people abandon their resolutions within the first few months. Why? Maintaining long-term goals is hard, especially when they are set impulsively or without a clear strategy for achieving them.
And oftentimes people set their resolutions based on bad habits they want to kick, instead of focusing on what the resolution is helping you accomplish. Planning a whole year around an area you want to deprive yourself is just not motivating.
So let’s talk about how you can set realistic goals for 2025 that you can actually stick with. To do that, you need to do three simple things:
Reflect
Set Intentions
Make a Plan
I created a free guide to help walk you through this process, feel free to grab it below:
Step 1: Reflect
You can’t set meaningful goals without understanding where you’re starting. Taking time to reflect on the past year allows you to learn from challenges, celebrate progress, and set more intentional, informed goals for the year ahead. Download my free guide above to see the science-backed reflection questions I use!
Step 2: Set Intentions
The next step is think about your learnings from the previous years, and consider for this upcoming year - what do you want to start doing? What do you want to stop doing? What do you want to continue? Instead of moving through this next year on auto-pilot, pausing to answer these questions for yourself will help you be more intentional.
Step 3: Make a Plan
It’s not enough to just name your intentions! Now you need to turn your vision into actionable steps which includes:
Define Your Goals: Write down 3-5 key goals for 2025. They need to be specific and realistically achievable by the end of the year.
Clarify Steps: Break down your end of year goal into the small steps you’ll need to take to get there. Think of these steps as building yourself a ramp to reach your goal by the end of the year vs. trying to scale a steep cliff.
Put it in your Calendar: Whether you use a paper calendar, google calendar or something else - make work blocks for your goals!
Change is Hard, But Absolutely Possible
Change is hard, but you don’t have to do it alone. Involving others in your efforts—whether for support or accountability—can make a big difference. For instance, see if a friend wants to join you for yoga classes or invite a co-worker to join your daily lunch walk.
Remember, progress doesn’t have to be perfect. The most meaningful changes often start with small, intentional steps. Be kind to yourself—if you miss a day, simply start again the next.
And if January doesn’t feel like the right time to dive into new goals, that’s okay! There’s no rule that says change has to begin now. Spring, with its themes of growth and renewal, might feel like a more natural time to embrace new habits.
So whether it’s at the start of the New Year or later on, take some time to reflect and envision the life you want to create for the year ahead.
