Another year is coming to an end. Hopefully, you can look back on it with appreciation for the positive outcomes and accomplishments you’ve had. It’s also a time to look toward the future and think about what else you would like to pursue in your life.

Time to dust off that guitar you keep telling yourself that you’ll play or see if your exercise clothes still fit. Or maybe you’ll commit to spending less now that your holiday shopping is over. 2025 is going to be your year to finally make the changes you’ve been telling yourself about but haven’t been able to make progress.

But doubt starts to creep into your head. You might ask yourself, “what makes this year different from the previous ones?” You’ve had the same goals for years now but haven’t made much progress.

If this sounds like you, the good news is you’re not alone. Have you ever heard of Quitter’s Day? It’s the day of the year when the majority of people who set New Year’s resolutions give up on them. If you had to guess what day of year it is, what would you say? Take a second to think about it before reading on.

What date did you say? If you guess the middle of February, you’re wrong!! The answer is the second Friday of January. ISN’T THAT INSANE?!?! This year that would land on January 10th. That means that in less than 2 weeks after the new year, most people can’t stick with their new goals. Studies have shown that 95% of people end up abandoning their New Year’s resolutions completely by the end of the month.

I asked ChatGPT what the 5 most common New Year’s Resolutions are. Here was the answer.

The top 5 New Year resolutions people make:

Get in shape / exercise more 🏃‍♂️
Lose weight / eat healthier 🥦
Save money / spend less 🤑
Learn a new skill / start new hobby 🎸
Reduce stress / improve mental health 💆‍♀️

I then asked what are the reasons people don’t achieve them.

Common reason people fail:

Vague goals
Lack of a plan
Unrealistic expectations
Lack of accountability
Loss of motivation

How to be the 5%

1. Set specific goals

Most people set goals without getting specific. This would be a goal of “lose weight, save money, or eat better.” This doesn’t actually mean much on its own. A statement like those can be helpful to get an idea of what you want but it shouldn’t be your endpoint when you’re goal setting.

A better goal would be “lose 20 lbs, save $200 per month, or eat vegetables with dinner.” An easy and commonly used framework for setting better goals are SMART goals.

Let’s say my goal is to be healthier. An example of a SMART goal could look like, “I want to lose 20 lbs by the end of the year.” It is specific and measurable by quantifying the exact weight loss needed. It could be attainable with the amount of time left and resources I have. It is relevant because losing weight would make me healthier. And it is time bound because there is a deadline.

2. Develop a plan

In order for your New Year’s resolution to have a chance, you will need a plan to follow. I like to think of goals as the “what” you want to accomplish and your plan as the “how” you plan on accomplishing it. Goals will be nearly impossible to achieve if you don’t have direction and just wing it.

The best way to conquer your goals is to break them down into smaller goals that ultimately lead to your main goal. For example if you have a year to reach your goal, break it into 12 monthly goals. You can have smaller outcomes that add to the larger outcome or you can have different goals for each mini timeframe. Either can work depending on what you are trying to achieve.

Sometimes your mini goals will need to build on the previous ones in order to make real progress. This will require you to have short term and long term planning. This will take more time to figure out initially but can lead to less friction down the road.

Consistency is also essential when creating your plan. You can’t expect to achieve anything if you don’t actually spend the time working toward your goal. Anyone who has ever achieved something important will likely agree. An inferior plan done consistently will work better than a perfect plan done inconsistently.

Let’s do a few examples to put it all together. Using the goal from before of losing 20lbs by the end of the year, what could a plan look like?

Person A: They have experience working out and know healthy eating habits. They were in shape years ago but fell off the wagon. Last year was stressful with work travel which limited their exercise and eating options. They don’t have work trips for this year and can focus more on making better decisions.

This person might have an easier time with consistency since they have done it before. They might only have to plan on the days they want to work out, what exercises to do on those days, and make a few tweaks to their eating habits. They wouldn’t have to break down their goal into many smaller goals and could do the same plan throughout the year.

Person B: They have no experience with working out. They have tried going to the gym but didn’t like it because they didn’t know what to do there. They have never been able to stick to a workout schedule. They have tried diets but none of them worked.

This person will have more friction with achieving their goal. They would benefit from creating smaller goals and slowly progressing throughout the year. The first month might be finding a workout partner and going to the gym on the same days every week. The next month could be learning how to cook healthier meals at home. The next could be learning more advanced exercises and so on.

Both of these examples used planning to get closer to their goal. They used different approaches but could both be effective in their weight loss by the end of the year.

3. Be flexible

A common mistake when making New Year’s resolutions is to make your goal too big. It can be inviting to set high aspirations when you are feeling motivated and optimistic. However, being too ambitious and setting the bar too high might cause you to fail even if you are doing everything needed to succeed.

Humans are emotional creatures and most have trouble remaining positive when things don’t go their way. It can be demoralizing to go to the gym and restrict your sweets when you haven’t seen any progress for weeks or months. Or you can feel overwhelmed by how much change you need to make in order to reach your goals.

Instead of setting your New Year’s resolution based on what you can do on your best days, create a plan to reach your goals when you’re having your worst days. You will be tired after work, get poor sleep, have obligations that you have to attend to, or get sick during the year. These are factors that you can’t always plan when they happen but you can plan on them happening eventually.

If you create your plan to be able to still move toward your goals despite these setbacks, you will have a much higher chance of success. So instead of planning to workout 5 days per week when you are currently working out 5 days per year, start with one day a week for 20 minutes. You can always work out more days or a longer duration on the days you are feeling motivated. This will make your goals attainable which is the “A” in SMART goals.

If things become too difficult and you find yourself struggling with moving forward, don’t be afraid to change your goals. There are no rules when it comes to New Year’s resolutions. The whole point is to improve some aspect of your life instead of sticking to something you guessed you could do months ago.

4. Get accountable

Reaching goals are easier when you have others cheering you on or picking you up when you’re down. Accountability partners, friends, and family are great for this. If you are trying to reach goals with other people, you can help motivate each other. But just telling others of your goals is helpful.

You can also join groups and communities of people who have similar goals. Don’t forget about coaches either. Coaches are great because they will jumpstart your progress and keep you accountable. They have worked with many people just like you and have experience helping people get through roadblocks. They know what works and what doesn’t so you don’t have to go through the trial and error process.

Another option is using tracking apps or systems. These are great for tracking your progress or seeing your consistency. When you’ve been consistent for a decent amount of time, you may develop a new motivation of not wanting to end your streak. These forms of accountability are helpful but usually require self discipline to remain consistent.

5. Keep your head up
You will experience setbacks along the way. The best thing you can do when this happens is to be forgiving to yourself. Understand that change takes longer than most people realize. If change was easy then everyone would do it.

Most people like the idea of change more than actually making the change. The action required to make change is hard because it usually requires you to do things that don’t come easy for you. It’s easier to watch TV than it is to exercise. It’s easier to eat cookies than to eat vegetables. It’s more fun to spend money than it is to save money.

Don’t rely on motivation to make progress on your resolutions because motivation will come and go. Most people lose motivation because they don’t set themselves up for success. Instead, rely on your planning and support system. Have a short memory when it comes to your failures. When you do fall off the saddle, the best thing to do is dust yourself off and get back on.

What’s your resolution?

If you are able to apply the tips above, then you will have a good shot at reaching your goals this upcoming year. The good thing is if you don’t hit your goal this year, there’s always next year. But please do me a favor and promise me you’ll make it past January 10th.

– Torrey