The New Year is considered one of the best times to commit to new habits, often referred to as New Year’s resolutions. With the encouragement of the refreshed calendar, many people find it to be a good time to make needed changes in their lives. Unfortunately, researchers suggest that only 9% of Americans who make resolutions stick with them. Many factors impact your ability to succeed in creating new habits, and having the right mindset can be the difference between reaching your dreams or falling short of your goals. Here, I’ve compiled a list of tips to keep your 2024 New Year’s resolutions on track. 

Start with One Resolution

It is easy to get excited about the prospect of becoming a better you, and overcommitment is not an uncommon occurrence. When making your New Year’s resolutions, don’t be tempted to overwhelm yourself! Attempting to tackle ten resolutions at once will leave you drained of energy and motivation. Instead, commit to one or two resolutions you are passionate about, and focus your efforts there. 

Get a Planner

And by a planner, I mean an old notebook, a printed monthly calendar, or even a piece of lined paper. Anything you can plan and track your progress on will do. It can be tempting to just start your chosen resolutions, but it is important to plan ahead. Building a habit can take 3-6 months of consistent action, and jumping head first into a resolution without an idea of how much effort you realistically can put in  daily is setting yourself up for failure. By planning your resolutions ahead, you are able to set daily goals and easily track your progress and consistency, three things that are essential to creating a new habit.

Goals with Intent

I mentioned above that it is essential to set goals for yourself when creating a resolution. Simply saying “get healthy” without taking the time to create steps to do so will do you no good. Instead, you should set goals that are challenging but achievable. These goals will keep you moving forward on your resolutions without overwhelming you or causing a burnout. These goals should be specific and short term. Long term goals are not bad, but they’re easy to lose sight of in your daily life. Small, daily goals that contribute to a long term goal will set you up for success. 

Expect a Challenge and Practice Forgiveness

Changing or making new habits is not a small or easy task. Although we can do things to break up the changes into smaller, digestible chunks. In the end, you are still changing something that you have possibly been doing your whole life. Your New Year’s resolution will be challenging, and chances are mistakes will happen. But challenges and mistakes are not a reason to give up, they are a reason to keep going. Give yourself some leeway; when a slip up happens, acknowledge it, clear your head, and move on. 

Although New Year’s feels like the best time to create resolutions and new habits, remember that it is never the wrong time to start improving yourself. Every day is a new day, and these tips can be applied to any goal you choose to pursue. Happy New Year!