New Year Resolutions: science-backed tools to help them stick

New Year’s resolutions are the quintessential opportunity for fresh starts, healthier habits, and purposeful lifestyle changes. For many of us, the beginning of a new calendar year feels like an ideal time to set goals and work towards self improvement. However, this opportunity can quickly turn into a chore. Setting and sticking to New Year’s resolutions should not be stressful or feel like yet another box to check off. Learn how to set SMART goals, how to establish lasting habits, and how to stay committed to your goals through all of 2025.

Outlining your Resolutions

SMART goals lay the framework for creating clear, deliberate goals.This acronym stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Reasonable, and Time-bound, and can be tailored to New Year’s resolutions in the following ways:

• Specific – Your goals should have a well-defined “why.” First, Identify the reasons you would like to set your New Year’s resolutions. For example, if your resolution is to exercise more in 2025, some questions you may consider asking yourself may be: What type(s) of exercise do I plan to do? Why do I want to move more? What aspect of myself do I want to improve – is it my cardiovascular fitness, to feel more confident, to get toned? Identifying the rationale behind your resolutions can help you stay committed.
• Measurable – Measurability means there are objective benchmarks defined within the goal. For instance, how many days do you aim to exercise per week, and for how long each day? Is there a minimum number of minutes or step count you want to reach each day? These objective benchmarks will help keep you on track and measure progress.
• Achievable – Set challenging, yet attainable goals for yourself. If you have never ran a mile before this year, planning to run a marathon by Spring may not be the most feasible goal. Instead, aim to increase your mileage gradually to make your goals within-reach for the near future.
• Reasonable – Reasonability means you are setting yourself up for success. Part of goal-setting is being honest with yourself and your current capabilities. Start modestly and modify your goals based on your accomplishments.
• Time-bound – Time-bound refers to the milestones you set for yourself for a given time period. In a set amount of time – 1 month, 3 months, 6 months– where would you like yourself to be? A designated time-frame allows you to set both short and long-term goals throughout the year.

Time to practice

Here are some common New Year’s resolutions and ways to make them more well-defined using the SMART goals framework.

1. “I want a digital detox” → I will put my phone away 1 hour before bed and put a 1 hour time limit on my most-used apps. By April, I want to reduce my screen time down to 2 hours each day.
2. “I want to work out more” → I will go to the gym for 45 minutes in the morning and take a 30-minute walk after dinner each night. By February, I want to be able to run 4 miles without stopping.
3. “I want to be better about finances” → I want to put $3,000 into savings for traveling next year. I will put $250 into savings each month for the next 12 months.

Establishing Habits

The neuroscience literature points to the fact that it takes on average 66 days to form a habit, however depending on the individual this range is variable. For most New Year’s resolutions–specifically ones that involve changing behavior–the key to sticking to them means reaching context-independence. Context-independence means you can perform the habit even when circumstances change, such as feeling extra tired, lacking motivation, or having a disruption in your usual routine. Considering it takes around two months to build and consolidate habits, it is important to have some neuroscience-backed strategies to help stick to them, especially in the early weeks.

1. Task Bracketing: Our neural networks are designed to anticipate both the initiation of an action and the conclusion of that same action. Using this to your advantage, you can bias both your brain and behavior towards habit formation. Learn to positively anticipate the start of your new habit. For exercising, you could set out your athletic clothes and shoes the night before and visualize waking up energized for your workout. In the morning, you can pair something you enjoy – a morning cup of coffee or some upbeat music – with the initiation of the new habit of going to the gym. Afterward, you can wind down with stretches and reflect on your accomplishment or make your favorite post-workout meal. This reinforces not only the habit itself, but creates a positive association with both the start and end of the task, increasing the likelihood of sustaining it.
2. Phasing the habit: Be intentional about when you perform your new habit during the day. In the morning, our brain and body are better equipped to complete challenging and physically straining tasks, while the later hours of the day are best for reactive or relaxing tasks.
   • Morning: For tasks that require more energy, focus, or concentration, consider performing them in the morning. This is when our norepinephrine and cortisol levels are highest, meaning we have greater levels of attention, alertness, and arousal.
   • Afternoon and Evening: After being awake for several hours, our energy levels tend to drop. This is an optimal time for calming or relaxation-based habits such as meditation, yoga, journaling, or art. Because your “motivation” chemicals drop as the day goes on, afternoon and evening activities should be less mentally-taxing and one’s you already enjoy.

Start Small and Celebrate Progress

If your ultimate resolution seems daunting or far-off, having short term goals can help keep you on track. Starting small and rewarding progress can reinforce the resolution. For example, if your goal is to eat healthier, opt for home-cooked meals instead of eating out. Gradually focus on introducing healthy foods you enjoy eating. This could be adding veggies to your morning omelet or swapping sugary yogurt for Greek yogurt and honey.

Take note of how you feel when completing these new habits. You may notice more energy, improved strength, or feel calmer when implementing these new practices into your regular routine which can help you stay committed.

Sticking with It

New Year’s resolutions are an opportunity to set your future self on a path to success. Outlining SMART goals is the first step, while neuroscience-backed strategies such as task-bracketing and time-phasing can help reinforce the new habits. Don’t forget to celebrate short-term accomplishments along the way as you keep moving forward toward achieving your goals in 2025.