How To Stick To Your New Year’s Resolutions in 2023

According to research you can find in many articles, New Year’s Resolutions are rarely effective. The most common number I saw was about 8% of people actually succeed in sticking to them.

While the numbers may say they aren’t, I would argue that they can be effective if done right. Most people seem to just dive right into their lifestyle changes with no preparation.

As Roman philosopher Seneca once said:

Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

Seneca

You can’t expect your hopes for the year to work out without putting in a little planning. Here’s how to make your New Year’s Resolutions stick in 2023 and make them more likely to happen.

Helpful New Year’s articles

• 22 New Year’s Resolutions For 2023 – Your Best Year Ever
• Top 5 New Year’s Resolutions for Teens To Make in 2023
• 10 Smart Things To Do To Start The New Year Right
• Difference Between New Year’s Resolutions and Goals
• 22 New Year’s Resolutions for Couples in 2023

1. Write them down in a journal or diary

If your desires just stay in your head, it’ll be very unlikely they’ll actually happen. Here’s a few things you should write out.

You should first write down what you want to accomplish. Research has found people who write down their goals are 42% more likely to achieve them.

Then, you should write out a plan of action of what you can do to make things happen. Lastly, you could put together a schedule that you can get into the habit of following.

2. Work on it daily

Find a way to improve in achieving what you set out to do for the year every day. It doesn’t always have to be something big. Even if it’s just a small act, you’re slowly building your way to success.

Many people make it a goal to lose weight and get fit. That’s a great desire to have. You don’t have to necessarily exercise intensely every day.

Just choosing to just walk around somewhere at least for five to 10 minutes a day can be useful. On the days you’re feeling extra motivated, walk even longer.

Do some running while you’re at it. Just do something big or small every day, and you’ll inevitably make progress towards your goal.

3. Monitor your progress

Sticking to what you resolve to do is easier whenever you’re noticing progress. As an example, when I would weight lift regularly, it was always motivating to see my weight going up.

It was a positive sign that I was getting more bulked up and made me feel like continuing the course in my workouts.

With any of your desires, find something as a measurement of progress that can motivate you to keep going. Monitoring your progress frequently helps you to be more likely to make your goals happen.

4. Reward yourself

In Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, it was found that those who immediately rewarded themselves after doing an activity to reach their goals were more likely to stick to them.

It’s somewhat similar to the cue and reward technique I mentioned previously in my minimalist exercise article.

Just like we use treats with dogs to encourage good behavior, we can treat ourselves to encourage our persistence in achieving our yearly desires.

5. Don’t tell anybody

It’s a weird thing I read one time, but apparently, you’re more likely to achieve what you want when you don’t tell everybody.

In this article in Psychology Today, it details how a particular goal we pursue is about achieving a certain identity.

You’re more likely to work hard to achieve that goal if that’s the only way people will see that you’ve taken on that identity.

If you tell people your goal, you’re less likely to work hard at achieving the identity behind it. So in other words, let your actions speak for themselves.

6. Have a support system

I know this tip is ironic since you just read not to tell anybody what your goals are. You can still have people to support you without specifically telling them what you’re accomplishing.

You and your family or friends can check in on each other to see how the goal is going. If either of you are feeling down, you could give each other a little pep talk. Having people support you in what you’re doing can make a huge difference to your overall success.

7. Manage your mood and energy

It’s been my experience that when I feel tired, I’m less likely to do much in my day. When something brings me down, I’m less likely to be in the mood to accomplish things.

Managing your mood and energy is key to being persistent in your goals. Will you always be able to control exactly how you’re feeling?

Probably not. But you can manage well enough to give yourself the best chance to stay consistent.

Try to avoid spending too much time listening or watching something that makes you stressed or sad. Do what you can to get enough sleep in your day.

Stay physically active so you don’t feel physically sluggish. If you’re physically sluggish, you’ll like be mentally sluggish and less focused on your tasks.

Eat foods that make you feel energized and upbeat, rather than foods that do the opposite. There’s tons of research on how food affects our well-being.

8. Try different tactics

Experiment what works best in getting you closer to your goal. We can sometimes limit the way we can get to the success that we want.

We don’t keep our minds open enough to the different possibilities that could work. Be open to taking up a new skill that you’ve never tried.

Look into taking a new class that might give you the knowledge you need. The important thing is to continually experiment.

You never know if something new you try or discover will really get you in the direction of achieving your yearly goal.

9. Believe you can do it

Believing in yourself is about having a growth mindset. A growth mindset is when you have the understanding that who you are as a person can improve with practice.

A fixed mindset is just thinking you are who you are and that’s the way you’ll always be. That’s exactly the wrong way to think.

Everyday Psych noted a study that found when students were taught to have a growth mindset, they were able to achieve a half a grade higher in their GPA.

It was true of even students who made D’s and F’s in their class. Let that be inspiration to you that you if you just have a growth mindset and believe with effort you can get better, you likely will.

How long do NYR’s last on average?

It’s been found that a majority of people only keep with their goals for about a month before giving it up.

An FSU news article mentions at about the second week of February, around 80 percent of people have quit their yearly objectives.

Here’s something to keep in mind when you’re trying to stay consistent with your goal. You’re likely going to have some kind of slip-up.

Best Life mentioned a Norcross study found that 53 percent of people who stuck to their yearly goal for two years, slipped up at least one time.

So, don’t feel bad about yourself if you do. Just get right back up the next day, and keep on pursuing your desires.

The past year may have been the worst of your life. But let it make you even more determined to make the next year the best one ever.

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