A Step-by-Step Guide to Setting New Year’s Goals You’ll Actually Achieve

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Many of us like to start fresh with the beginning of a new calendar year. We write resolutions and set intentions for how we’re going to be different in the new year. This often looks like jotting an assortment of healthy habits in no particular order on January 1^st. Then we try to keep them up for as long as we can. And it’s common to drop most of them by the middle of the month. It can feel really demoralizing when this happens. But it’s not your fault. It’s just the system you’re using! Below, we’ll talk about how to shift your approach and actually meet your New Year’s goals this year.

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New Year’s Goals vs. Resolutions

View from above of a notebook with a list of New Year's Resolutions written in it. We'll talk about why New Year's goals are more effective than resolutions. — Photo by Polina

It might seem like I’m splitting hairs by differentiating goals and resolutions. But the process of setting goals is very different from how most of us write New Year’s resolutions. If you’re anything like me, when you sit down to think about how to improve your life in the coming year, you can easily jot a dozen resolutions that have nothing to do with each other and no overarching goal. These are often broad like “drink more water” or “lose 20 pounds,” with no detail as to how you’re going to meet them.

We usually toss this list in a drawer somewhere and forget about our resolutions by February for a few reasons. First, it’s hard to remember a random assortment of resolutions that don’t tie together. Second, we usually haven’t put much thought into the why behind the resolutions. And without that sense of purpose, our resolutions aren’t at the forefront of our minds when life gets back to being busy after the holidays. Resolutions are also generally not very specific, which makes it hard to put them into action.

Goals, as many of us have been taught in work meetings through the SMART acronym, are specific, measurable, and time bound. Instead of “learn Portuguese,” we might write, “Find a Portuguese class, enroll, and attend biweekly for 6 months. Study independently for 2 hours on Saturday afternoons. Take the CEFR exam in June and score at least a B1 level.”

So, you can see why goals are more likely to be achieved than resolutions. But there’s more to planning achievable goals than making them specific and time bound.

How to Set Your New Year’s Goals

You may be saying, “Sure, I’ve set SMART goals at the beginning of the year before, and I still didn’t meet them.” Same here! There are a few likely reasons for that. Here’s the process I recommend for setting New Year’s Goals that will actually stick.

Step 1: Prioritize

View from behind of a woman looking at post-it notes stuck to a wall and tapping her head. Prioritizing is the first step to setting New Year's goals. — Photo by Lala Azizli

If you’re feeling motivated, it’s tempting to write out all the habits you’d like to start in an ideal world where you have unlimited time and energy. But as Greg McKeown explains so well in Essentialism, we make the most progress when we cut out low-priority activities and focus our energy on one primary goal.

If you can’t decide what to prioritize, journal about how your life would change if you met these goals. (Use these journal prompts if you aren’t sure where to start.) Which ones have the most powerful impact on your life, when you imagine successfully meeting them?

For example, if you want to lose a few pounds to look better, you’ll find your life won’t change much when you achieve your goal. You’ll get some new clothes and maybe gain some confidence. It’s not a goal worth prioritizing. However, if your weight is limiting your mobility and harming your health, meeting that goal could significantly improve your life. You might choose that as your primary New Year’s goal.

Once you’ve chosen your goal, write a sentence about why you want to achieve that goal. Intentional living encourages you to always know the why behind everything you do. Everything should be on purpose. And that goes double for New Year’s goals.

Step 2: Get Specific

View from above of a desktop. A planner is open on the desk. The page is titled "Goal Detail." Below that, there are headings for "Goal summary," "Key motivations," and "next steps." — Photo by Content Pixie

Now you can start brainstorming all the activities that will help you achieve your goal. This will be similar to a traditional list of New Year’s resolutions, but here’s the catch: all the activities are related to your primary goal. They’re not a random assortment of habits you think would be good to have.

For example, if your goal is to change careers, you might plan activities like:

research potential career paths
ask for informational interviews from people in fields of interest
select a degree program to apply to
study for any required standardized tests (for example, the GRE)
get the required score on the standardized test
submit an application to the degree program

Even a big, intimidating goal like “change careers” can be made into smaller, more manageable steps. You don’t need to have a full, actionable plan on January 1^st. This is a time for setting goals and working on your mindset to start fresh in the new year.

Step 3: Plan Your Timing

A yearly planner open on a desk. Planning your timing is an important step in setting New Year's goals. — Photo by Jess Bailey Designs

There are a few different elements to consider when planning the timing of your New Year’s goals.

1 – Stagger Your New Year’s Goals

One of the common reasons people let go of their New Year’s resolutions is that they tried to implement several all at once. Instead of trying to launch all these new habits you brainstormed in Step 2 in January, stagger them.

For example, if your primary goal is weight loss, your plan might start like this…

January: Switch to mostly whole foods, read a book about a whole foods diet, learn three new healthy recipes
February: Use a calorie counting app to start tracking calorie intake/expenditure and macronutrient percentages
March: Research and start a workout routine, work out consistently 3x/week
April: Set up a plan in your calorie counting app to lose 1lb/week and stick to the plan for 30 days

With a goal like “weight loss,” most people try to start all these things at once. And, of course, they generally fail. It’s nearly impossible to start all those new habits at once. You only have so much willpower, and restricting to that level will drain it fast. Staggering the launch of new habits allows you to fully ingrain one new habit before adding the next. By the end of the year, you’ll have completely transformed your routines. And you’ll have done it in a sustainable way.

2 – Look at Schedules Outside Your Control

Consider if certain things need to happen at specific times of the year. For example, if you’re planning on going back to school, when are applications due? Is there a standardized test you need to take before that? When is it offered?

3 – Plan Easy Wins for January

Try to plan out easy wins for the first month of the year. Seeing results immediately will increase your motivation and enthusiasm for your goal. For example, if your goal is to become a minimalist, declutter the “low-hanging fruit” in your home (expired food, damaged items, clothes and toys your kids have outgrown).

If your goal is to improve your finances, do a “no buy” month in January where you only purchase groceries and household necessities. Watching money pile up in your bank account will be so satisfying you’ll want to keep it up the rest of the year.

4 – Take Seasons into Account

And finally, consider the seasons. As I wrote in my post about how to enjoy winter, January is not an ideal time to be rallying energy and launching into new ventures. If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere like me, it’s the darkest and coldest time of the year.

Use the cold and dark months to introspect, research, and prepare. For example, if you’re planning a career change, use the winter to research different paths and imagine yourself in those careers. Gather information about requirements to enter them. Journal about what you want from your ideal job.

If your goal is weight loss, don’t try to start a workout routine in January. Instead, set a goal to learn to cook some healthy dishes – especially warming soups and stews. Read books about nutrition to inform the rest of your year. Plan to start your exercise routine around the spring equinox. That’s when the sun is up earlier, it’s warmer, and you may actually have the energy and motivation to trudge to the gym or get out for a jog.

Bonus Activity – Do an Audit of the Past Year

I’m adding this idea as a “bonus activity” because I know not everyone will want to make time for this. But it’s incredibly illuminating if you do. Before you start with the steps above, briefly audit the past year.

What did you accomplish? Pat yourself on the back.

What goal did you set that you didn’t accomplish? Is it because it wasn’t very important or because you didn’t fully commit? Do you want to double down on it next year or simply let it go?

The audit activity has a few benefits. It allows you to give yourself credit for all the ways you improved in the past year, which is really motivating as you start a new year. It also gives you valuable information about what you tend to make time for versus what you don’t. And this information lets you make informed choices about goals you should set this year.

Summary – Next Steps for your New Year’s Goals

A planner open on a desktop. The heading reads "Goals." In this section, we'll summarize the next steps for writing your New Year's goals. — Photo by Alexa Williams

Ok, that was a lot! Here’s the short version. When you sit down to think on your New Year’s goals, try these steps:

(Optional) Audit – start with an audit of the past year. Which goals did you achieve and which did you drift away from? What lessons can you learn from those?
Prioritize – brainstorm and choose one primary goal for the year
Get specific – brainstorm all the activities that can help you achieve that goal
Plan your timing – decide which activities to start when. Stagger new habits, consider schedules outside your control, plan some easy wins for January, and take seasons into account.

Tools to Use

I’m the kind of nerd that has used a variety of tools to set New Year’s goals in January. Which one you go with will depend on your personal preferences. There’s nothing wrong with a simple Word or Notes document to map out your thoughts! But if you get excited about organizational tools like I do, here are some of my favorites:

Passion Planner

I’ve been using this planner for years. I love how it lets you break down monthly and weekly goals, and even set a focus for each day, week, and month. Plus there’s space for mapping out goals in diagram form. They also have digital products,

A Good Old-fashioned Notebook and Pen

I type much faster than I write, but there’s something uniquely satisfying about starting a new journal with the new year and jotting down my New Year’s goals by hand with a brand new pen.

Apps

There are a few apps I’ve used that have helped me stick with New Year’s goals:

What Do You Think?

Have you found strategies that make you stick to your New Year’s goals? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

A Step-by-Step Guide to Setting New Year’s Goals You’ll Actually Achieve

New Year’s Goals vs. Resolutions