To those of you who manage to stick to your resolutions every year, congratulations! You have my utmost respect and admiration. To those of you who are probably like me and most of the human population, you can rest in ease as I have prepared a comprehensive guide as to how to actually maintain your new year’s resolutions.
New year, new me! The old classic line that everyone says at the beginning of the year only to forget about it the very next day. I remember a time when making New Year’s resolutions felt like a real ritual, whereas nowadays I feel like this trend has died out among the newer generation, replaced by endless doomscrolling and brain rot. Of course, there might still be people who make these resolutions, but I remain highly skeptical about how many of these are actually kept.
Tip #1: Set Realistic Goals
As human beings, we often like to get ahead of ourselves, imagining a perfect life with the healthiest habits and the most productive routines. As much as I enjoy this level of delusion, I also think it is important to set realistic limits. For example, I enjoy playing video games, probably more than I would like to admit. If I set my resolution to “Stop playing video games”, I would most definitely break this on the 1st of January itself. However, if I set a more realistic goal, like “Reduce the time spent playing video games,” would I actually stick to it? Probably not. Let’s be honest- I am still destined to fail spectacularly. But it would most certainly result in a higher probability of success. While it is important to have confidence, it is equally important to know one’s limits. That said, this is not an excuse to set ridiculously easy resolutions. They are supposed to be challenging, even if failure is part of the plan!
Tip #2: Set Goals You’re Genuinely Interested In
In my experience, this is the main reason resolutions fail. Many people set goals that sound impressive on paper without having the motivation to follow through. Common examples include going to the gym, cutting down on snacks, or studying more. When creating resolutions, it is vital that they are for you, not because someone else suggested them. Now, it might seem contradictory. If you truly want something, wouldn’t it already be easy to maintain? Perhaps, but the challenge lies in consistency. Take going to the gym, for example. The idea of a healthy lifestyle is appealing, yet the start is always slow and difficult. I genuinely think laziness is the bane to human existence, and it is so painfully hard to overcome. My advice for people who have succumbed to laziness is to imagine your future self after sticking to your resolution consistently. Picture the version of you living the lifestyle you want. That image can provide motivation when the initial effort feels exhausting. Once you push yourself to take the first step, the task often becomes far less daunting than it initially seemed. Waking up from bed and getting ready is the hard part, not the actual workout itself.
Tip #3: Make Detailed Resolutions
Most people have extremely vague resolutions, such as - go to the gym, study more, eat healthy, and so on. However, these resolutions are bound to fail, mainly because there is no plan, leaving massive room for excuses. Instead of just saying “go to the gym,” make it more specific: go to the gym every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Even better, include the time and plan the workouts for each session. This makes it so much easier to actually commit to the goal you set. The same goes for something like “study more”-replace it with what exactly you are going to study and for how long. Writing down the specific details of your resolution forces you to think about the process and gives you a clear outline for how to actually execute your goals.
Tip #4: Set a Reward or Punishment
Rewards and punishments serve as secondary motivators to ensure you stick to your commitments. A small reward after completing a task can be effective, but a carefully chosen consequence for failing to meet your goal can be even more powerful. To make this work, involve someone else- friends, siblings, or roommates- as witnesses to your commitment. Accountability increases the likelihood that you will stick to your resolutions and not find ways to cheat yourself.
Keeping New Year’s resolutions is never easy, but it is possible with thoughtful planning, realistic expectations, genuine motivation, and accountability. The tips above are not just about forming habits; they are about creating a framework that allows you to improve gradually. Imagine looking back next year and realizing you have become a better, more disciplined, and more self-aware version of yourself. That reflection is far more rewarding than any fleeting motivation on January 1st. The effort you invest now will pay off later, not just in achieving your goals, but in building the skills and mindset to tackle challenges throughout the year.
Written by Siwoo Lee (Class of 2026)
