It’s always helpful to set goals for yourself, but why does it seem so hard to achieve them? When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, it can feel even harder. According to a poll from 2023 by Forbes Health, a little over 65% of adults in the United States give up on their resolutions after only 4 months. About 8% (or just under 1 in 10 adults) of this group broke their resolution after only one month. Of the 1,000 U.S. adults who answered this poll, only 1% said that they lasted for 11 to 12 months! Why? Well, it could be a few things. Some people make too many resolutions at once, resolutions that are too ambitious or too easy, or resolutions aren’t specific enough. Many don’t make a specific plan on how to achieve their resolution. With these 10 tips, this article will offer guidance on how to overcome those challenges.

1. Make a resolution that is attainable.

It can be hard to be realistic about what you are able to achieve in a certain amount of time. Sometimes it’s tempting to make a resolution that’s big and exciting. However, it’s often best to choose a resolution that is reasonably accomplishable within one year, without compromising your health or livelihood. For example, instead of making a resolution to go on a run every morning for the whole year when you have never been a runner, you could make a resolution to run about 20 minutes for 3 mornings a week. As the year goes on, you could always gradually increase the days and the amount of time that you run.

2. Be specific and measurable when making your New Year’s resolution.

Specificity when making a resolution can be extremely helpful to ensure that you keep your resolution. Make sure when that you’re choosing your resolution that you ask yourself what you’re doing, how often, and for how long, with a specific start date and “deadline.”

3. Choose a resolution that is important to you to accomplish and understand why it is important to you.

If your resolution isn’t very important to you or you’re only choosing it because someone else told you it was a good idea, then it might be best to go with something else that is meaningful to you. Arbitrarily choosing a resolution that has no meaning to you will likely make it much harder to be able to keep it. It can also be helpful to think about and acknowledge why it’s important to you. That way, if you start to feel discouraged, you can always remind yourself of why you’re attempting your resolution in the first place.

4. Stick to only one New Year’s resolution.

Often, the most productive way to achieve your goals is to focus on one goal at a time. The same is true with New Year’s resolutions! A lot of people make at least two resolutions, but that often leads to a lack of focus and a lack of time. The ability to focus and invest time in one resolution is very important so that you can have the best chance of success. If you’re having trouble choosing just one resolution, prioritize whichever resolution you feel most strongly about.

5. Choose a resolution that is challenging enough to motivate you.

Choosing a resolution that is too unattainable to be able to accomplish can make it difficult to stay motivated, but so can choosing a resolution that’s too easy. A resolution that’s challenging enough will likely give you a stronger feeling of accomplishment when it’s achieved, as opposed to choosing a resolution that’s underwhelmingly easy.

6. Break down your resolution into short-term and long-term goals.

When making your resolution, it can be helpful to separate your short-term and long-term goals that are related to your resolution from each other. Think about which goals can be a part of your plan to achieve your New Year’s resolution, and which goals you need to save for another New Year. You can think of these goals that you decide to set for the year as “steps” to achieve your resolution. You’re only giving yourself a year to achieve your New Year's resolution, so try not to fit in too many steps.

7. Make your plan.

Using all your knowledge from the previous tips, you can make your plan now. Think about all the actions you need to take to achieve your resolution. What is your first step? Where do you hope to be with accomplishing your resolution 3 months from now? What about 6 months from now? What is your overarching goal at the end of the year? It’s a good idea to plan for obstacles too. Go through those “what ifs” and make a plan for what you would do in case they come up.

8. If you make a mistake, don’t beat yourself up or give up.

Keep going and get back on track to keep your resolution. We’re all human, and we make mistakes. It’s normal to “fall off the wagon,” so to speak. If that happens, forgive yourself and move on. No matter what your resolution is, you can always get back on track. Saying or believing that you “broke” your New Year’s resolution does not mean you should give up. Giving yourself room to make mistakes is essential to succeeding in anything, including New Year’s resolutions!

9. Set benchmarks to reward yourself when you take steps toward achieving your resolution.

Rewarding yourself when you take solid steps toward achieving your resolution is a great way to help you stay on track! To do this, you can set benchmarks. For example, if your resolution is to do yoga three mornings a week this year, and you make it to your benchmark of three months, you could treat yourself to a new electronic speaker to play music for your next yoga session. A year can feel like a long time, so it can be helpful to have something to look forward to at every benchmark you reach.

10. Be flexible and adjust your resolution if you need to!

There’s no rule that says you have to be completely perfect and always follow your plan to a T when trying to keep your New Year’s resolution. Life happens, things change, and stuff that we could never have anticipated comes up. Let’s say that you set a resolution that you’re going to meditate every morning for 10 minutes a day this year, and that’s difficult for you because you’re not a morning person. You would probably not feel very motivated to do it most mornings because you usually sleep in, right? Instead, you could consider moving your meditation time to the afternoon. On the other hand, if your resolution of practicing guitar 4 times a week for 30 minutes became too easy over time, you could give yourself an additional challenge by adding a day to your practice schedule. You can always add or take away challenges with your New Year’s resolution, depending on what would help you maintain your focus and motivation the most.

Regardless of what you decide to set as your New Year’s resolution, remember that you can set goals at any time. You don’t have to wait for the New Year! Remember that no matter what your goals, aspirations, dreams, or resolutions are, you have the power to achieve them. All you have to do is keep yourself motivated, adaptable, optimistic, and focused.

Happy New Year from Two Faces of Jane!