“2025 is my year”: Setting achievable New Year’s resolutions

Reflecting on 2024, do you remember your New Year’s resolutions? Did you achieve them? At the end of each year, I sit and reflect — what was memorable, what did I learn, how did I change, and what am I thankful for? When I finish reminiscing, I look forward and wonder: what do I want the coming year to look like? This is when I begin to make a list of New Year’s resolutions. 

The problem is that I cannot recall the last time I achieved all my resolutions. Each year, it is no surprise to me that most of the goals are left unchecked. Oftentimes, I move the same goals over to the next year. “Exercise more.” That’s probably been on my list for three years now. I decided to ask some friends if they made resolutions, and to my surprise, four out of five said they didn’t even bother for 2024, knowing that they would never meet them anyway. 

Many of us don’t bother because a New Year’s resolution seems simply too big a commitment. Yet, the excitement of a new year (a new start) brings out a delusionally hopeful part of me. Because maybe this will be the year I become the best version of myself, where I achieve all those goals and build habits for success. I’m hopeful. But hope without action greets me with disappointment. To avoid this for the new year, here are some steps you and I can take to achieve our goals for 2025. 

1. Choose one to three goals.

First, let’s look at the resolutions themselves. How many are there? For 2024 I had 13, under five larger categories. And in shame I will admit I checked off about 1.5 of them. Looking back, I had been way too optimistic in January. Instead, it’s best to focus on three or less overarching goals. Struggling to choose? Try reflecting on the true motivations behind the goal. Is it to please someone else, or will it genuinely make you happy to achieve it even if no one knew? From there, I like to prioritize goals that tackle my self-destructive habits. For me, I will attribute this to “fixing my sleep schedule to be more consistent.” 

2. Consider splitting the year.

Annual goals give plenty of leeway to push back the goal. Haven’t started on a resolution? It’s easy to say, “It’s okay, I’ll get to it later in the year, there’s still 10 months left!” until you’re wondering where the time went in December. The 12 Week Year talks about achieving goals in 12 weeks instead of 52. The shorter span of 90 days provides more urgency while still being able to achieve bigger goals. This works perfectly with 12 week study terms, or can be adjusted to 16 weeks, too. Either way, it means we can consider goals in smaller portions than a whole year. Now, they can be more specific, trackable, and manageable.

3. Make SMART goals. 

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. When we have a specific goal, it becomes easier to measure, making it more attainable. Make sure the goal is relevant to your desires, as mentioned in point one. If you are splitting the year, you can break down your goals from point one to be tailored for 12-16 week timeframes. For example, the goal can be to complete half of a project instead of the whole thing, given the shorter timeline.

4. Write it down. 

A study from the Dominican University of California showed that those who wrote down their goals were more likely to achieve them than those who did not, by 42 per cent. Put the list somewhere you can access easily. 

5. Monitor your goals and progress. 

Now that you have a list of goals, make sure you are reminding yourself of them. After all, you need to remember your goals to take action towards them. Each week, reflect on your goals to remind yourself if you’re making any progress. If you want to go the extra mile, log the amount of focused time you spent on each goal. Tracking this on a spreadsheet really helps you see your productivity (or lack thereof), motivating you to push harder.

6. Be flexible. 

Resolutions don’t have to be set in stone. If you notice each week that you are not making much expected progress, consider changing the goal to suit you better. Is it hard to attain? Does the process need to be changed? Don’t be afraid to test it out.

7. Celebrate your progress! 

Even if it’s merely a daily task that was completed to meet your resolution, celebrate the fact that you followed through. Recognizing your efforts can motivate you to keep consistent. Sometimes, we can get caught up in the final achievement and pressure ourselves during the journey. The process itself is something to celebrate and praise yourself for. 

8. Keep a healthy mindset. 

Resolutions are all about wanting to be a better self. However, when we idealize this better self, we can get impatient with our current self, viewing ourselves negatively and growing unhappy. Personally, I found this to be the biggest culprit for years of failed resolutions. The pressure I put on myself led me to doubt and negativity. “What if I try my best and still fail to achieve my dream?” But I’ve come to realize that it’s better to try, even if it means I don’t achieve it. I would rather be proud of my perseverance than disappointed with my lack of trying. Ultimately, resolutions and goal planning comes down to how well you know yourself. It’s a delicate balance: being realistic while dreaming, pushing through while giving yourself grace.