A guide to setting New Year’s resolutions that stick

One of the most amusing parts of a year’s end is planning out your New Year’s resolutions. You spend careful thought choosing the right one. You do research, investigating the most popular New Year’s resolutions and searching for suggestions. You talk to your friends and family and exchange ideas. And then, the ball drops. No, not the one in Times Square. The one on January 12th, a mere 12 days into your New Year’s resolution when you cave and give in to your caffeine addiction to pathetically fail at giving up coffee.

80% of New Year’s resolutions are abandoned after the first month, if they even make it that far. Why is this the case? Why can’t we stick to the promise we’ve made ourselves? The answer, fortunately, is simple.

Why New Year’s Resolutions Fail

When we set a New Year’s resolution, we are setting a long term goal. On December 31st, we decide on a non-specific outcome we’re hoping to see 365 days later. “My New Year’s resolution is to lose weight.” The setting of New Year’s Resolutions is a nice idea in theory, but it’s missing a huge piece that will help drive success: the path.

New Year’s resolutions are typically generalized, one-sentenced dreams. I’m labeling them as dreams, because they are aspirations of an outcome with no clear path to get there. “I’m going to lose weight,” “I’m going to appreciate life more,” “I’m going to save money.” Okay, how?

We enter a new year on the heels of excitement, ready to make this year better than the last. But we’re unknowingly setting ourselves up for failure every year.

A New Year’s resolution is a desk from IKEA without the instructions. Assembling anything from IKEA with instructions is already a difficult feat in itself. Can you imagine even attempting it without a guide? You know that thing will be sitting in pieces for the next 6 months as you glare defeatedly at its beaming photograph on the front of the box.

Of course New Year’s resolutions fail. You’re giving yourself a photograph on the front of a box without any instructions or guides to help you bring it to life.

Reframing New Year’s Resolutions

Don’t worry — we can fix this. We can build that damn desk. We just need to reframe our approach. A resolution is a decision, a determination. Now we need to understand how we’re going to come to that decision. We need to configure and establish our path. We need a New Year’s syllabus.

The New Year’s Syllabus

Remember back in high school at the start of class, you’d receive a syllabus that would outline the year’s curriculum and set your expectations for what you’d be learning and tested on each quarter? This is a crucial step in any goal setting and should be applied as your path to your New Year’s resolution.

Step 1: Resolution Setting

Firstly, we need to better define our desired outcome. “I want to lose weight” sounds good, but if on December 31st you’re one pound lighter than you were on January 1st, were you successful? According to your resolution, yes — you lost weight, but my guess is that’s not what you had in mind at the start of the year. We need to be more specific in our resolution setting.

When deciding on your resolution, make sure to set it as a SMART goal. A SMART goal is one that is

S — specific (simple, sensible, significant)

M — measurable (meaningful, motivating)

A — attainable (agreed, attainable)

R — relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced, results-based)

T — time-based (time limited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive)

So, instead of “I want to lose weight,” your resolution can be “I want to lose 25 pounds by December 31st by eating healthier and exercising.”

Step 2: Path Carving

Once you’ve clearly defined your goal, your resolution, it’s time to carve your path to achieving it. Outline your year by setting up quarterly goals and monthly tasks that will keep you on pace. Here’s how that might look:

Q1 (January-March): Lose 5 pounds by March 31st

January: Join the gym and go twice a week for 30 minutes

February: Stop drinking soda

March: Eat a salad for lunch three times a week

Q2 (April-June): Lose 5 pounds by June 30th

April: Go to the gym three times a week for 30 minutes

May: Replace a carb with a vegetable for dinner twice a week

June: Switch chips as an afternoon snack to almonds or an apple

Q3 (July-September): Lose 7 pounds by September 30th

July: Go to the gym three times a week for 45 minutes

August: Replace a carb with a vegetable for dinner three times a week

September: Stop eating after 7pm

Q4 (October-December): Lose 8 pounds by December 31st

October: Go to the gym three times a week for one hour

November: Remove carbs from lunch four times a week

December: Replace afternoon snack with a bottle of water twice a week

By setting goals and tasks for each month, you have a clear route towards the finish line. The incremental outline makes the end result more digestible and easier to achieve.

Step 3: Progress Tracking

Now that you have a clear resolution and a path to get you there, it’s time to put the wheels in motion. Your New Year’s syllabus will allow you to track your progress and ensure you’re where you need to be at each point in the year. It’s important that your syllabus is written down and set in a place that you’ll see everyday. Hang it on the fridge or put it on your nightstand. Track your progress by keeping a journal or simply making notes right on your syllabus. At the end of each month, take a look at your syllabus. Are you where you said you would be? What do you need to do next month to stay on track?

Step 4: Buddy Up

Another simple reason why New Year’s resolutions fail is that we have nobody to hold us accountable but ourselves. Choose a partner to help keep you going. It can be a friend, a spouse, a coworker, or anyone you feel comfortable sharing your syllabus with. Set up monthly chats — it can even be a simple routine text message — to share your progress and ensure you’re both on the path to success.

Okay, you’re ready to build the desk. And lucky for you, this desk comes with a one-year warranty. You have the vision, you have the power, and now you have the tools. 3…2…1…Happy New Year!

What’s your New Year’s resolution?