Have you made any new year resolutions yet?
While many people start the new year with a goal in mind, not everyone sticks to their plans. In fact, a YouGov survey discovered that only 31% of those who said they made resolutions for 2023 say they have kept them at all.
So, if you want to improve yourself in 2025, read on to discover our eight practical tips for setting new year resolutions you’ll stick to.
1. Clearly define your goals
Deciding on your new year resolution is a deeply personal choice. The YouGov survey discovered that the most common choices are:
- Doing more exercise
- Saving more money
- Losing weight
- Spending less time on social media
- Pursuing a career ambition
- Spending more time with family.
Whatever you think might improve your life is a good resolution to make. For example, some people choose to make light-hearted resolutions such as petting as many dogs as possible or reading a certain number of books.
2. Understand why you’re choosing your goal
To keep motivation up throughout the year, it’s important to understand why you’re choosing to make this resolution.
For example, you may want to save more money so you can put it towards a deposit for a house or your dream holiday.
If you struggle to come up with a reason why you should stick to this resolution, then you might benefit from finding a different goal.
3. Split it into smaller goals
Decide on what counts as succeeding at your resolution and then split this target into a series of smaller tasks or milestones so that you can plan how you are going to achieve your goal.
For example, if you resolve to lose weight, make a specific note about what success would look like to you. For example, do you want to drop a dress size, or do you want to lose a certain amount of weight on the scales?
With a concrete goal in mind, you can then split this into smaller, much less intimidating goals. This might look like losing a few pounds every week or going to the gym every day after work.
4. Track your progress
Keeping track of how far you’ve come can help you keep up your motivation throughout the year.
Keeping a journal or making a note of your progress – whether you’ve met your targets or have fallen short – regularly can help you see how far you’ve come.
It can also help you to adapt your goals if you find that you’ve underestimated your ability or were too ambitious with your resolution.
Furthermore, keeping track of your progress allows you to reward yourself when you reach a milestone or stick to your new habit every day. But be careful not to reward yourself with something that could undo your progress, such as eating a takeaway while you’re trying to lose weight!
5. Ask for support
Informing your friends, family, or coworkers about your goal can help you build a support network that will help you stay on track for the rest of the year when things get difficult.
If you’re lucky, one of your loved ones might even share the same resolution as you so you can hold each other accountable when your motivation is running low.
6. Schedule your new habits into your day
Changing your life doesn’t happen overnight. Scheduling your new habits into your daily life will help you make time for the changes that are important to you so you don’t keep putting off the activities you know will improve your life.
For example, if you want to spend less time on social media, then you can leave your phone in a different room or stop scrolling before bed so that choosing to do something else with your time will eventually become an unconscious habit.
7. Don’t give up
No matter what, it’s crucial not to give up.
If you feel like abandoning your resolution, sit down and remember all the reasons you wanted to change your life in the first place.
Starting a new habit is difficult. However, there are many things you can do to rekindle your motivation without giving up on yourself.
Try reassessing your resolution and making your milestones easier to reach so you have the mental boost to complete your goals. Or you can try writing down all the positive impacts this new year resolution has had on your life so far so you can truly see the progress you’re making.
8. Don’t strive for perfection
We often enter the new year with high hopes for our resolutions, but no one is perfect.
At some point during the year, life will get in the way of your goals and you will slip up or fall behind.
Don’t let this stop you. Whether or not you achieve your goal, striving to change your bad habits and improve your life is always something you should be proud of yourself for.
Remember: doing something, even if it doesn’t achieve exactly what you imagined, is always better than doing nothing.
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