"I love New Year’s. I love fresh start energy, making vision boards, and manifestation journaling. But as a health coach, I am also aware of how often people set goals that they never reach. According to U.S. News & World Report, 80 percent of resolutions fail. So, what does it take to be in the 20 percent that succeeds? We all say #newyearnewme every January 1, so how do we make sure that 2025 will really be “our year,” the year where we become happier, feel our best, and are more fulfilled in our careers? The answer: change your approach. After helping dozens of women achieve their resolutions, I believe I’ve become an expert at goal-setting and goal-keeping. Here are 12 foolproof hacks that will help you achieve everything you want this year—2025 will be so impressed.
1. Get clear on your “why”
You may already have your resolutions (and if not, here’s some inspo), but do you know why you want to set those resolutions? The first step to holding yourself accountable is putting meaning behind your goals. For example, “going to the gym every day” or “getting a raise” are fine resolutions, but you need to look at the bigger-picture goal as well. Why do you want to go to the gym every day? Is it to be stronger, feel more confident, or live longer? What about getting a raise: Do you want to be more financially independent or feel valued by your company? If you’re not looking at the “why” goal, the surface-level goal will never feel motivating enough to last until 2026. Make sure you’re consistently reminded of why you care about achieving the goals you set.
Take some time to reflect or journal about why accomplishing this goal is important to you and how it will make a difference in your life. Months from now, when the newness of resolutions wears off, you won’t be thinking, “I have to wake up at 7 a.m. to exercise.” You’ll be thinking, “I want to wake up at 7 a.m. to exercise because it makes me feel so much happier and healthier throughout the day.”
2. Set smaller goals throughout the year
“Losing weight,” “running a marathon,” or “reading 100 books” are far-off goals that will leave you disappointed and unmotivated. When we set big yearly goals without having a day-to-day plan of how to achieve them, we often forget about them by summertime. A 2015 UCLA study found that people think of their future selves as strangers, which is why we procrastinate homework or put off saving for retirement. Avoid the trap by breaking the future goals into goals you can accomplish more immediately. Break down big resolutions into smaller, more specific goals throughout each season, month, or even week.
If you want to read 100 books by 2026, change the goal to eight to nine books per month, and then make a weekly goal of how much you need to read per week to achieve that. If you want to get healthier in 2025, start each week or each month with the goals you want to accomplish: fit in four workouts in a week, lift 10 extra pounds than last month, or add greens to two meals a day. When that week or month is over, you’ll feel accomplished and therefore more motivated to set harder goals next. Reaching goals works like a snowball—once you accomplish a little bit, it always snowballs into more motivation.
3. Prep in advance
Treat your resolutions like work meetings or appointments: Always prepare what you need in advance. If you work out in the mornings, lay out all your clothes next to your bed, untie your sneakers, and fill up a water bottle. Preparation works for nutrition goals, too: Meal prep makes it much less likely for you to resort to takeout after a busy workday or snack on unhealthy choices. If you want to have a better morning routine, lay out your clothes, set out your skincare lineup, and set out the meditation pillow. Also make sure your home is setting you up for success. Keep your blender in an accessible spot, display healthier cookbooks on the shelves, leave your yoga mat out, and turn your bedroom into a relaxing oasis if you want to get more sleep this year. Having everything ready will not only make it easier to do the action that will help you reach your goals but will put you in the mindset that the action will happen.
“Reaching goals works like a snowball—once you accomplish a little bit, it always snowballs into more motivation.”
4. Try something different
You know the quote, “The definition of insanity is to do the same things and expect different results,” right? That applies to improving your life. If your resolution is to change jobs, what do you intend to do differently this year to get to that resolution? What habits do you have now that are holding you back from that resolution? Maybe you tend to lose two to three hours each night watching TV or scrolling on social media that could be spent fluffing up your resume or making connections on LinkedIn. Reassess your current routines and how you’re spending your time to block out time that would be better used to learn a professional skill, check job listings, or network with professionals in your industry. What we water grows, so realistically update your routine to reflect your new priorities.
5. Schedule checkpoints
Stay on track throughout the year by scheduling checkpoints. Depending on the length of your resolution, these dates can be weekly, monthly, or quarterly. Because you’ve thought about what it looks and feels like to meet your resolution, you’ll have the metrics needed to be able to tell how close you are to your goal and what you need to do still to get there. If your resolution is to save $5,000 for a vacation at the end of 2025, check your progress monthly. Have you been depositing $417 each month into your savings? Do you need to make any changes to your budget to help you stay on track? The pre-scheduled checkpoints allow you to reward yourself if you’ve met your smaller goals or adjust as necessary if you’ve been struggling. Having a schedule in place will increase the likelihood that you’ll hit your resolution by next Dec. 31.
6. Get an accountability buddy
Do you have a friend, significant other, roommate, or work wife who also wants to stick to their resolutions? Make them your accountability buddy and motivate each other by exchanging healthy recipes, sending motivational quotes, and checking in to see how the other is feeling or keeping up with their goal. You don’t have to have the same resolutions to motivate each other, but it certainly helps if you plan to go to a yoga class with a friend or set up weekly meetings with your work-wife to see how your career resolutions are coming along. You’ll be much more motivated feeling like you’re in this together.
“People struggle to reach their goals because we have bad ‘health short-term memory'”
7. Constantly stay inspired
Maybe you are what you eat, but you are what you read, watch, and listen to as well. Fill your space and your time in ways that are inspiring to you. Read books that get you closer to your goal or listen to podcasts that motivate you. Post affirmations on your mirror, computer screen, or fridge. Make a vision board with motivating images like a picture of yourself from when you felt healthy and happy or a magazine cutout of someone achieving your goal. There’s so much content to motivate you as you go after your resolutions, so immerse yourself in whatever way will keep you inspired. Filling your time with inspiration and motivation will make you excited to reach your goals. Don’t worry—there will always be time for Real Housewives or The Bachelor, but remember that nutrition isn’t just what you eat; it’s what you read, watch, and listen to as well.
8. Journal your progress
On a recent episode of The Everygirl Podcast, Dr. Stacie Stephenson, MD, shares that the reason why people struggle to reach their goals is because we have bad “health short-term memory”—we forget how amazing we felt after that yoga class or how eating a nourishing breakfast instead of going through the Starbucks drive-through gave us so much energy. The answer to help our short-term memory? Journal about your resolutions on a regular basis. Use a blank notebook for morning pages, record your daily goals in your planner, or use the Notes app on your phone. Not only will journaling about your resolutions keep you motivated, but knowing you’re tracking your progress will hold you accountable. It’s a lot less tempting to skip the workout or order takeout when you know you’ll be writing about it later. More importantly, journaling will keep the resolution top of mind, so you know you’ll prioritize it.
9. Always have a plan B
So, you slept through your alarm and missed your morning workout? Or you’re extra hungry and aren’t in the mood for your usual smoothie? Have an easy and flexible backup plan so that you don’t completely give up when your plan doesn’t work out. Going on a 30-minute walk after dinner or doing a yoga YouTube video before hopping in the shower are great ways to fit in movement and keep you feeling motivated, even when you can’t get to the gym or fit in a 60-minute workout. Likewise, have a few different healthy meal options so that when you’re not in the mood for your typical go-to’s, you don’t feel the need to go for fast food takeout. Having a backup for when your plan falls through is crucial to staying on track.
10. Fit resolutions into your already-existing routine
Your resolutions can be lofty, but they have to fit into your life. For example, if you hate salad, don’t force yourself to eat salads. If you want to get fit but can’t run a mile to save your life, don’t try to run 5 miles. Instead, find healthy foods you like and exercises that are fun or make you feel good. Learning how to enjoy achieving your goals will help them stick. Experiment with healthy recipes and test out workouts to find one that you’ll not only enjoy but will look forward to. Don’t vow to wake up at 6 a.m. for meditation and a workout if your alarm clock typically rings five minutes before you have to be on Slack. Start with a meditation while your coffee brews, some calf raises while brushing your teeth, and going on a walk while you’re on a conference call. There are dozens of ways to fit your resolutions into your current routines rather than attempting to create a brand new routine around your resolutions.
“Even resolutions need balance, not perfection.”
11. Look for one small victory every day
The key to resolution success is not to look at what you have yet to accomplish. Instead, the key is to focus on what you’ve already done. Looking at how far you’ve come (even if it is just baby steps) will boost your confidence and motivation to keep going. Every single day, look for a victory you made toward your end goal. It could be doing an extra 10 crunches, having a smoothie for breakfast instead of getting an Egg McMuffin, or going on a walk during your lunch break. Focusing on the small daily steps toward your final goal will feel much more motivating than a distant goal that’s out of reach. Let each small step be its own victory, and get excited for whatever victories you’ll accomplish tomorrow.
12. Focus on the “why” goal; be flexible with resolutions
Remember those aforementioned “why” goals? Maybe you want to work out more, but the reason for that is to feel more confident, or perhaps you want a raise, but you want a raise because you want to take a step in your career. The secret to achieving your resolutions is to focus on the “why goals” and be flexible with resolutions. From now until 2026, there will be times when you’re too tired to work out, need to take a mental health day from work, or want to enjoy a glass of wine and an entire Domino’s pizza on a Friday night. Those moments don’t mean you’re failing at your resolutions; they mean you’re listening to what your body needs.
If you’re not flexible with your resolutions, you’ll never be able to keep them. To hold yourself accountable, stay focused on the overarching goals like feeling more confident, progressing in your career, or treating your body well. It will help you stay motivated to keep your goals, but most importantly, you’ll be listening to your body instead of external expectations. Even resolutions need balance, not perfection.
Josie Santi, Senior Wellness Editor & Podcast Host
Josie has been an editor and writer for The Everygirl since 2017 and became a certified Holistic Health Coach in 2020. As the Senior Wellness Editor, she oversees, writes, and edits wellness content, as well as reports on wellness trends and interviews the industry’s leading experts. Listen to Josie on The Everygirl Podcast.