6 tips for sticking to your New Year's resolutions

Recent studies suggest has been significantly detrimental to our mental health, there’s probably a lot more riding on your 2021 resolutions than usual.

Of course, resolutions are hard to keep. According to the most recent Urban Plates/Ipsos poll, nearly two in five Americans have a New Year’s resolution in mind for 2021. However, when respondents were asked how long they kept their 2020 New Year’s resolutions, 55% said they did not stick to them for the whole year and 11% gave up after less than one month.   

Incidentally, according to Ipsos, among those with 2021 resolutions, being more active/working out was the most common goal, followed closely by eating a healthier diet and improving financial health. Almost 75% of those with a resolution said the pandemic informed how they chose their resolution, with at least one-quarter of respondents saying they will work on mental health, eating healthier, and/or their finances as a result of the pandemic.

Luckily, there are strategies that can help you achieve your goals, after you’ve decided what habits you’re going to kick and what you’re going to take up.

Whether it’s quitting a bad habit, getting in shape, taking on a new hobby, or learning a new skill, here are six tips from health and time-management experts that will give you the tools you need to stick to your 2021 resolutions.

1. Aim high and be specific

Rather than setting the goal of “running more” or “cutting back on alcohol,” create a specific target—and set the bar high. 

A 2017 study, published in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, which examined the roles of sub-goals and overall goals in completing tasks, found that motivation can be heightened via several approaches. One of the study’s findings was that a focus on the overall goal, rather than sub-goals, can increase the perceived value of goal-directed actions and lead to greater motivation.

For example, rather than just promising yourself to run more, if you set a goal of running a half-marathon by July, you may be more likely to stick to running.

You may have heard of SMART goals, which was an acronym coined in the 1980s in the journal Management Review. It stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, which can be a great set of tenets for guiding your resolutions.

The specificity part of this is key. If, for example, you want to cut back on alcohol, you ask yourself: By how much? By when? Setting specific goals is a great first step to achieving them.

2. Take small steps

While aiming high is important, jumping straight into a marathon isn’t realistic. You should set sub-goals or establish a training regimen to work toward whatever you’re trying to achieve. Creating small, seemingly easy tasks can help build your confidence and train you to accomplish more difficult goals in the future.

Some evidence suggests that focusing on sub-goals and your overall objective can increase productivity. For example, a 2019 study published in Applied Psychology: Health and Well-being looked at 256 people who had set New Year’s resolutions, then checked their progress three months later. Researchers found that those who focused on superordinate and subordinate goals invested a higher level of effort in pursuing their goal, compared with those only focusing on the superordinate goal. 

If you try to tackle too much too fast, you may be more likely to become frustrated and give up. (The “A” in SMART goals is achievability.) One finding in the aforementioned 2017 study on sub-goals was that, when subjects set an overall goal they believed was achievable, the structure of sub-goals enhanced the perceived attainment of the end objective, leading to greater levels of motivation. 

So, don’t worry if you’re struggling to run a 5K; set smaller goals of running a 2K, then a 3K, and keep building up—you may find you’re smashing through your targets in no time.

3. Stick to a timeline and monitor progress

This part may take some discipline, but it likely will make your resolutions easier to keep. To adhere to the latter two parts of SMART, make goals that are measurable and time-bound. As mentioned above, taking small steps is important—but keep track of the sub-goals you’re hitting and aim to keep a schedule to ensure progress.

For example, if you’re looking to lose weight, you could weigh yourself at moderate intervals or take intermittent photographs so you can see your progress. If you’re cutting down on booze or fast food, keep a journal or notes on your phone. Tracking progress will likely reinforce your motivation.

4. Develop accountability 

One helpful way to stick to a resolution is accountability. This could be through a written or verbal promise made to people you don’t want to let down, or even a public promise to colleagues or friends on social media.

Joining a gym or a club can provide you with a support system to encourage you; sharing your progress with family and friends can do the same. Having people who can relate to or share in your struggles and successes often makes the journey easier. A key part of setting SMART goals is making sure they’re relevant. Talking to others about your objectives and the reasons behind them can help you figure out if you’re setting the right targets.

5. Acknowledge that it’s a process

One study on habit formation, published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, found that it can take some people up to 254 days before a new habit becomes automatic. Here’s the good news: That study also found that missing one opportunity to perform a new behavior did not have an effect on the habit formation process.

Acknowledging that it may take a long time before you hit your targets might mean accepting that you have to change only one behavior at a time. It may also mean tempering your pride. If you manage to hit that 5K time quickly, don’t consider the task complete and stop running. Of course, you can (and should!) feel good about hitting sub-goals, but remember that the only way to form a habit is to keep at it and move onto the next sub-goal. 

6. Don’t be a perfectionist

If you fail to hit one, or even a few, of your sub-goals, don’t beat yourself up. Perfection is not realistic for anyone. We all have off-days, but with the help of your support system you can focus on what you have achieved so far and how you can get back on track.

You can also use your experiences to motivate you to do better in the future. If you slip up, it’s okay to consider it a lesson, and therefore a step toward your ultimate goal. That might mean discovering a trigger for a bad habit you’re trying to kick, or realizing you need to change your schedule in order to fit in a new activity you’re pursuing.