4 Steps for Successful New Year’s Resolutions That Actually Get Done
By: Florian Hoffmann
Tags: Self, New Year, Success, New Years Resolutions, Self Improvement

This year will be my year! Every New Year’s Eve, we toast our good intentions for the new year. Because as the old year draws to a close, we often feel the desire to want to change something about our current lives.

But within a very short time, most plans already fall apart. Why is it so difficult for us to keep our New Year’s resolutions and how can we successfully put our good intentions into practice? You can find the answers to these questions in the following article.

Of New Year’s resolutions, blossoms, and fruits.

In the coming year, I will take more time for myself, try to reduce stress, enjoy more time together with family and friends, exercise regularly, abstain from alcohol, and eat healthier.

The most common New Year’s resolutions revolve around stress, nutrition, and a healthier lifestyle. In short, we want to become a better version of ourselves. But life rarely changes overnight and habits can’t be broken overnight.

“On the tree of good intentions there are many blossoms, but few fruits”- Confucius

Sure, we can enjoy the beautiful blossoms of a tree. Nevertheless, we need fruits to nourish us. In other words, making good intentions is something positive and a first step in the right direction. However, we often stop at this step and do not go further. Blossoms do not become fruits.

This phenomenon is known in psychology as the intention-behavior gap. It describes why, despite a strong intention, the corresponding behavior does not always occur.

Example: Let’s assume that Linda made a good New Year’s resolution to be less stressed in the coming year and to take more time for herself. And then, in January, she is once again the last one in the office and falls into bed after work, dead tired.

And now the intention-behavior gap comes into play: A New Year’s resolution already forms a good basis but is not enough on its own to actually change one’s own behavior.

This requires a conscious decision to actually want to achieve the desired goal. This decision then fills the gap between the good resolution (intention) and the change in behavior.

4 steps to realize your good resolutions

Psychological theory or not, but what can we derive from it to actually put our New Year’s resolutions into practice? In these four steps, you can take to make your good resolutions a reality, step by step.

1. Set priorities and make decisions

The list of New Year’s resolutions can get long and address pretty much all areas of our lives. But just as Rome wasn’t built in a single day, we can’t change completely overnight.

That’s why it can be helpful to consider which desires we give more weight to and which good resolutions we push back for now. Then decide specifically on a New Year’s resolution that you want to pursue.

The rule is: It’s better to make one really important resolution than not to complete many small ones.

When making your choice, it can be helpful to become aware of why exactly this good resolution is important to you: What motivates you to do it?

So that you don’t lose sight of your motivation, you can write down your personal answer to this question and pin it to your fridge, for example.

Linda’s example: “In the new year, I want to work less overtime at work so I can have a little more time for myself.”

2. Planning is key when it comes to New Year’s resolutions

The next step is to turn the New Year’s resolution into a concrete plan. Whether the good resolutions are really kept in the new year is usually already decided when the New Year’s resolution is formulated.

It has been shown that concrete “If…, then…” sentences increase the probability that the behavior will actually be implemented. So feel free to take a sheet of paper and think about answers to the following questions: What will I do? When and where will I do it? How will I do it?

Linda’s example: Linda picks up a colored sticky note and formulates, “When I go back to work on Monday, I will set an alarm for 6 p.m. to remind me to get off work on time.”

3. Putting the plan into action

Now it’s all about not losing sight of your goal, staying steadfast, and putting your plan into action. Sometimes it can help you to be aware of possible stumbling blocks on the way to your goal and prepare for them.

What might cause me to stray from my plan and how do I counteract it? With this in mind, it can be helpful to involve your family or friends in your plan. Along the same lines, commit to your goal!

Linda’s example: When Linda sits down at her desk on Monday, she discovers her sticky note there reminding her of her good resolution. To make sure she actually gets off work at 6 p.m., she sets an alarm clock and makes an appointment with a friend for the evening.

4. Be aware of your successes

You’ve done it! The last step is to give yourself a pat on the back. Because no matter if you can implement your plan directly or not, every step counts.

So don’t forget to celebrate yourself for intermediate goals and small successes. This step is important to motivate you to keep going. And remember again: Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Linda did it, too! When Linda comes home after dinner with her friend, she is proud of herself, “I managed to leave the office on time. While I won’t be able to make a date for every evening, I will set my alarm for tomorrow again.”

Let the new year be your year

The bottom line is that New Year’s resolutions are a nice opportunity to become aware of your desires and goals for the new year. After all, times, when we are engaged with ourselves, are often rare, but valuable and important.

New Year’s resolutions can give our lives direction and act as a common thread throughout the new year. For this very reason, it is important that you make your New Year’s resolutions the way you want them to be.

I wish you all the best for your new year and the strength to successfully put your good resolutions into practice!