6 Tips to Help You Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions
We are inching closer to Christmas, which means the calendar will soon flip to the New Year, and everyone will break out those pie-in-the-sky resolutions. Sadly, very few of us will follow through.
Wow. Talk about a Debbie-Downer statement to usher in 2026, right? But you and your friends here at Murray Media all know it to be true. While New Year’s resolutions are a great way to make a positive change in your life, whether it’s finally getting organized, losing a few extra pounds before next summer, quitting smoking, or taking the plunge and starting a new business, most reputable statistics show that 92 percent of all resolutions will fail by February.
That means only eight percent of us will attain whatever goal it is we set.
To make sure your New Year’s Resolutions stick, here are six tips to follow to make the most out of the rest of this year and beyond.
Don’t Get Too Lofty With Your Goals Initially
You may want a “sky is the limit” mentality in 2026, and we are in no position to tell you differently. But mentally, it’s easier to hit goals and stick with them longer if they are smaller at first. For example, instead of focusing on the big target of losing 100 pounds, start with the first 25-pound mark. As you get closer to hitting that first target, then get more adventurous. Sometimes, this road merely begins by being more active today than you were yesterday.
Write Your Goals Down
Writing your goals down helps make them real, which leads to accountability. But don’t just write them down and stick them in the bottom of your purse or in a junk drawer – put them on the corner of your desk at work or pin them to the front of your refrigerator door with a magnet. Seeing your goals every day keeps them top of mind and keeps you motivated.
Keep Track of Your Progress
Speaking of writing things down, tracking your progress in a journal or on a calendar is a great way to stay mindful of your goals and to see what type of progress you are making.
Create Smart Goals
We mentioned earlier about not getting too lofty with your goal-setting. It’s equally as important to make sure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-Focused, and Time-Bound. New Year’s resolutions have a better chance of sticking if you are clearly defining what you are going to do, how you are going to do it, and in how much time.
find an Accountability Partner
Finding that one person who will hold you accountable every step of the way, no matter what your resolution may be, makes keeping the promises you made to yourself at the beginning of the year so much easier to achieve. The best accountability partner is someone who is trying to achieve the same goal you are, or has at least been in your shoes before and succeeded.
Remember Why You Decided to Do This
If one of your New Year’s Resolutions is to quit smoking, your reasons for doing so may include being able to have the energy to play with your kids in the backyard, to keep your house from smelling bad, and just overall better health. When you start to lose sight of your goal, think of the reasons why you got into this to begin with.
