How to Pick a Realistic New Year's Resolution

Narrowing Your Focus

Pick a resolution you haven’t attempted before. If you’ve already tried a resolution and failed, you may be setting yourself up for failure again. Instead, pick a new resolution! It’ll give you a fresh start and get you a little more inspired.

Make only one resolution. You may have big plans for self-improvement, but avoid creating a to-do list-style document crammed with resolutions. Rather, focus on just one. That way, you can put all your energy into achieving it, and you won’t be disappointed when you don’t check off all 20 resolutions on your list.

Focus on one behavior. Your resolution should address a single behavior. If you address multiple, you’re more likely to get overwhelmed and throw in the towel. Instead of committing to eating well, exercising, and drinking water, focus your attention on one of the three.

Make your resolution specific. Vague goals seem more abstract, and therefore are more difficult to achieve. By contrast, specific goals are more actionable. Instead of resolving to eat better, commit to eating an extra serving of fruit and vegetables each day. Don’t pick a vague resolution like “make new friends.” Instead, pick something like "make at least 2 new friends this year at my child's school.” Try to write your resolution in clear writing, with specific goals in mind and a plan of action. If possible, create a deadline so you can measure your progress.

Choosing a Meaningful Resolution

Pick a resolution that makes you feel inspired. What are you passionate about? What gets you excited? If your resolution inspires you, you’ll be more motivated to work towards it. Think about your favorite life experiences. What do they have in common, and how can you create more of them? For example, if you adore animals, consider making a resolution that involves volunteering at an animal shelter or a vet clinic.

Make sure your resolution aligns with your values. If your resolution is intimately connected to your values and your life plan, it’ll be more achievable. Perhaps you value giving. Pick a resolution that incorporates this value, such as donating a certain amount of money to your favorite charity. Ask yourself what you’d like to contribute to the world and how you can strengthen the important relationships in your life.

Go for a resolution that helps you grow as a person. The most effective and motivating resolutions are the ones that bring you closer to your ideal self. That doesn’t mean you should resolve to make a major transformation. Instead, pick a resolution that helps you grow in some way and gets you a little closer to who you want to be. If you want to be a more fearless person, resolve to participate in an activity that scares you. For example, if you’re scared of responsibility, you might take a leadership position in a club or organization.

Choose a resolution for the right reasons. Make sure you pick a resolution because you genuinely want to achieve it, not because you think it would benefit someone else or make an ex jealous. If you pick a goal that means a lot to you, you’ll be more likely to follow through. Don’t resolve to lose weight so your partner will like you more. If you decide to lose weight, it should be so you feel better. Before committing to a New Year’s resolution, ask yourself, “Why do I want to do this?”

Making Your Resolution Manageable

Start small. While it’s tempting to go for a life-changing resolution, you actually have a better chance of achieving a smaller one. People tend to overestimate their ability to achieve difficult resolutions. Plus, difficult resolutions are harder to stick to, increasing the likelihood that you’ll lose hope and give up completely. To avoid this, choose smaller goals that you have a good chance of achieving. Instead of making a resolution to cut out all junk food from your diet, you might decide to limit yourself to several junk food items per week. Rather than resolving to call your family every day, make a commitment to call them two times per week. Remember to be honest with yourself about what’s realistic. Oftentimes we make the goals too difficult or unattainable, so we get into what is called "all or nothing" thinking and give up. Try to avoid this pitfall.

Break your resolution into smaller steps. Even if your resolution is specific and realistic, it might still be a little overwhelming. Make your resolution more manageable by dividing it into a series of subgoals. These should be measurable, concrete, and time-based. Imagine you want to finish the novel you’ve been working on by the end of the year. A realistic subgoal would be to write ten new pages each week. Assess your progress every week. If there's progress, continue what you're doing. If no action was taken in the week, look inwards and ask yourself why that happened.

Make a list of potential obstacles. When making a goal for the future, people often forget about the day to day constraints that might make achieving that goal more difficult. Imagine you are going to start your New Year’s resolution tomorrow. What obstacles or inconveniences might you encounter? Write them down. Then, assess if it’s still a realistic resolution. For example, if your resolution is to head to the gym everyday after work, consider if you’ll really want to drag a gym bag to the office each morning.

Choose a resolution you can share with family and friends. Social support can be super helpful in making your resolution a reality, so it’s a good idea to pick a resolution you feel comfortable sharing with family and friends. That way, they can hold you accountable, offer advice, and cheer you on!

Give yourself time. Don’t leave your resolution until New Year’s Eve. You should start planning your resolution at least a few days before the start of the new year so you have time to ensure it’s specific, meaningful, and manageable. With a little planning, you’ll feel more prepared to conquer it come January 1st!