How to Set Tangible New Year’s Resolutions That Stick
As the New Year is approaching, the question, “what are your New Year’s resolutions this year?” is likely to start floating around. Whether you are always on top of setting New Year’s resolutions, or 2026 is the year you’re planning to start, this blog is for you.
It can be easy to set broad goals, like “going to the gym more,” “eating healthy,” or “becoming a morning person,” but it can also be easy to lose sight of these goals after a few weeks into the new year. We want to provide some tips for setting practical goals that you can stay on track of and see and feel progress in.
Stay flexible and willing to adjust goals
When setting goals, remember that life happens and can get in the way of the plans we had. Maybe school is busier than you thought and you have to pick up dinner instead of cooking–that’s okay. It’s okay to change your goals to fit new circumstances or curveballs that come your way. Setting rigid goals can sometimes lead to disappointment if we aren’t able to fulfill them, even if something is out of our control.
2. Set SMART goals
Setting vague goals can make them challenging to stick to and to recognize signs of progress. Setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals can help.
Specific - Adding details to your goals helps make them more tangible
Measurable - Consider how you will recognize progress
Achievable - Consider the resources and bandwidth you have
Relevant - Resolutions should excite you and add value to your life
Time bound - How will you set aside time each week to your goal?
Here are some SMART resolution ideas if you’re looking for inspo:
“I will pick the top 3 tasks I need to finish each day in my Notes app and complete at least 2 of them by the end of the day, five days a week”
“I will reduce my daily social media use to 30 minutes per day by using the screen-time limit function on my phone.”
“I will practice 10 minutes of mindfulness meditation every morning for at least 5 days a week.”
“I will journal for 15 minutes before bed at least 3 nights a week to reflect on my day.”
3. Keep an accountability partner
Keeping an accountability partner–whether that’s a friend, family member, classmate, coworker, or therapist, can help you stay focused. They can be your cheerleaders, providing support and encouragement when it gets tough, and remind you of the small wins, when they can be hard to see ourselves.
4. Celebrate progress, rather than the end result
If we wait until the end of the year to look back on the progress we’ve made, we are missing the small successes along the way. Each week that you stick to your resolution deserves a celebration. Focusing on these small wins and recognizing small steps can give us the motivation we need to keep going.
Reflection: What might a small victory look like for your resolution?
5. Don’t aim for perfection or to completely alter your life
Resolutions should be feasible and don’t have to be something huge. A year might seem like a lot of time, but in reality, it’s not that much time and will likely fly by. Setting a resolution to master something new or become “unrecognizable” in a year can put a lot of pressure on yourself. Trying something new or being “good enough” is a resolution in itself.
Reflection: How can you tweak your resolution to take less pressure off?
6. Focus on why you’re setting a goal
Resolutions should be meaningful to you and your personal goals, rather than what’s trending on your For You page. If a resolution is important to you, you will be more internally motivated to stick to it. If something is externally motivated, it can be easier to give up when things get hard. Remember that resolutions don’t have to be visible to others–they should be something that make you feel happier inside.
7. Take time to reflect on different areas of your life
When setting goals, it can help to evaluate different areas of your life–consider your social, family, work, and school life, as well as your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
Reflect:
What areas are lacking or have room for improvement?
Do you recognize any consistent unhealthy behaviors or patterns in any area—burnout, perfectionism, time management, people-pleasing?
On your ideal day, what would happen?
How would this look different than your current daily life?
What small change can you make to enhance this area, alter this pattern, or change your daily routine?
Final Takeaway
Setting New Year’s Resolutions offers a unique opportunity to reflect on the past year–your wins, trials, laughs, and takeaways. Resolutions should be specific, achievable, realistic, and meaningful–but not rigid, because life happens. We would love to offer a space to reflect, brainstorm, and help keep you on track to achieve your goals. Or if your resolution is to try therapy for the first time, we would love to welcome you.
