Redefine Your Goals And Explore The Most Popular New Year’s Resolutions

Often, people set goals and New Year’s resolutions during the last month of the year after reflecting on areas they’d like to improve. When thinking about the New Year, some may find themselves reflecting on the past year and how they can improve their mental and physical health. Whether by eating healthier, exercising more, or learning a new skill, your resolutions can be a roadmap for improving in different areas. 

However, only thinking about your resolutions may not be helpful when making them a reality. Instead, it may be vital to create a plan to execute your goals and ensure you're sticking to the mission you set out to do. Learning more about New Year's resolution ideas that you can explore and potentially apply to your own life may also be valuable, as can considering your resolutions from previous years to see what did and did not work. There are no rules regarding how simple or complex your resolutions can be as long as they work for you; you don’t need a good reason to pursue a resolution other than it is helpful to you. 

The most popular New Year’s resolutions 

Below are some of the most common and popular New Year’s resolutions to consider when planning your own. Many of the most common New Year’s resolutions include goals that would be helpful for nearly everyone.

Improving health and fitness

Improving health and fitness is one of the most popular goals people choose at the end of the year. It might include aspirations like losing weight, eating healthier, or beginning an exercise routine. You might choose a specific diet program and consciously try to eat healthier, more nutritious foods. Since one of the most common New Year’s resolutions is improving fitness, you could also consider joining a new gym and starting a new fitness program with weightlifting, yoga, or Pilates. 

For some people, cutting unhealthy behaviors or substances out is a priority. For example, quitting smoking, eating less sugar, or drinking less alcohol is at the top of their list for improving their health. Often, decreasing these types of unhealthy behaviors can help individuals lose weight, eat healthier, and even improve mental health. Sticking to healthy eating practices and developing nutritious eating habits can have notable impacts on both physical and mental health. 

If you are struggling with substance use, contact the SAMHSA National Helpline at (800) 662-4357 to receive support and resources. Support is available 24/7.

Learning new skills or hobbies

Starting a new hobby in the upcoming year can be a popular resolution to add to your to-do list. New skills and hobbies might include picking up a musical instrument, meditating regularly, or learning a new language. You can try finding an activity that aligns with your interests and abilities and setting realistic milestones to avoid becoming discouraged. It may be worthwhile to start by reading more books about different hobbies or investigating skills you may have previously disregarded. From picking up a musical instrument to learning a new language, you can explore various options, including but not limited to the following: 

• Painting or drawing

• Gardening

• Photography

• Cooking or baking

• Dancing

Becoming more financially stable

Achieving financial stability and improved finances is a standard New Year's resolution, and the new year offers a fresh start to improve many areas related to personal finance. One way to work toward this goal is to save money, which can involve building a rainy-day fund, saving for retirement, or putting aside funds for a child's education. With a savings plan and budget, you can track your progress and make adjustments when necessary. Some strategies for cutting expenses may include:

• Canceling subscription services you don’t use

• Eating out less and cooking at home more to spend less money on food

• Determining your needs over wants

• Setting a budget for common spending, such as coffee 

Making career advancements

In addition to saving money, some people set a goal to make more money in the New Year. Making more might involve learning new professional skills, finding a better job, or getting promoted. It might also involve improving your prioritization, organization, and goal-setting skills. Explore new opportunities and build new expertise through professional development. For example, if you work in marketing, you might learn web development or study analysis skills to revamp your career or learn how to better present your thoughts and ideas to get support for a promotion to executive director. 

Improving mental health

Improving mental health might include being more aware of your work-life balance, reducing stress, or attending therapy. You can explore different strategies to improve your mental health and overall well-being. For example, you might consider starting a gratitude journal. Journaling may help you practice gratitude and introduce positivity that may motivate you to complete new goals. It can also reduce stress and promote self-improvement.

Making new friends or colleagues

Common resolutions can include expanding your network of friends or colleagues in the coming year may help your social life and career growth. Increasing your in-person interactions may also help you manage stress and improve your overall well-being. You might try putting yourself out there more and improving your interpersonal skills, from sitting with the new person in your office or school for lunch to inviting people to specific events, such as sports games or dinner socials. You can also work on spending time with your current connections by saying yes more to people who invite you out. Even spending one hour each week with a family member can be a new habit that enriches your life. Most people can benefit from spending more quality time with others.

Traveling and experiencing new places

Some people want to travel and go to new destinations for their New Year's resolutions. You can set specific goals like traveling alone to a new place or doing an activity that’s out of your comfort zone, like taking an adventurous road trip or learning a new language. Adventurous people may prefer to try skydiving or bungee jumping. If you prefer something less extreme, you could spend a weekend exploring a new city or neighborhood nearby. You could even make a resolution to save up for four months, for example, before using your savings to take a fun trip.

Decluttering, organizing, and being more productive

Decluttering and organizing is a standard New Year's resolution for some people who want to be more productive. The task might seem daunting if you have a lot to declutter and organize. In this case, it may be helpful to break the process down into manageable tasks through techniques like the Pomodoro Technique. One potential place to start is focusing on daily changes rather than going for a complete overhaul; focusing on one thing at a time likely increases the chances of success. For example, you might start with physical regions like closets and garages or online clutter like emails and messy desktops. Organizing can also help you recognize any bad habits you may have when it comes to holding on to items you don’t need.

Volunteering and giving back

For some people, the new year is the perfect time to volunteer and give back, which can be fulfilling and rewarding. Helping others can be a common New Year’s resolution. If you want to spend more time with friends or loved ones, you can try volunteering together. For example, you could join a local community clean-up effort or participate in a charity run. In addition, you can dedicate time to mentoring students or young professionals in your field of expertise, as paying it forward may lead to new professional opportunities. 

Living more eco-friendly and sustainably

Living an eco-friendly and sustainable lifestyle has become a popular New Year's resolution, and the start of a new year may be a perfect opportunity to commit to more sustainable living.  You can start by making more minor, manageable changes to reduce your environmental impact. For example, you can look for ways to reduce plastic usage and opt for reusable utensils, straws, and other items. 

Some people may choose to purchase products made from sustainable materials or those with minimal environmental impact, such as biodegradable cleaning products and apparel made from organic, fair-trade materials. You can also get involved in local environmental programs or join eco-conscious organizations. 

Planning and sticking to your New Year’s resolution

When making resolutions, a clear plan is key. Reflect on your goals and consider which areas of your life you'd like to improve. Then, look at your current situation and draft a realistic plan for achieving your goals. Consider breaking down large goals into smaller, more manageable ones so that you have a clear plan leading you all the way into the next year. Don’t try to tackle your resolution all at once; plan for it to take weeks or months.  It is likely that New Year’s resolutions fail less frequently when pursued in small steps. 

Creating a plan for your resolution may be easier than sticking to it. Although it can be challenging to stay on track, you can create short-term milestones that seem more achievable and reduce your urge to give up. For instance, instead of setting a goal to stop eating “junk food,” you might set a goal to meal-prep at least three healthy meals at the start of each week. If your goal is to exercise more, you might consider finding a workout buddy or setting a specific target, such as running a 5K within two months.

Other ways to achieve the most common New Year’s resolutions 

The average New Year’s resolution tends to be abandoned early in the year. However, several techniques can also improve your likelihood of sticking to your resolutions after the resolution setting, such as the following tips: 

• Find an accountability partner: Sometimes, resolutions fail because of a lack of accountability. Discuss your goals with friends and family who can offer support. For example, schedule weekly check-ins with a friend working toward a personal goal so you can encourage each other.

• Regularly track your progress: Monitoring your progress with specific measures can help you stay focused and make changes as needed. Try using an app or journal to log daily or weekly progress, which can visually show how far you've come.

• Reward yourself: Celebrate minor milestones to stay motivated. If you're trying to exercise more, treat yourself to a movie night after completing a week of workouts. Rewarding yourself may also increase the likelihood that you continue to form good habits. 

• Be patient and persistent: Accept that setbacks may occur, but don't let them stop your efforts. Patience is often an important part of accomplishing your goals. It is also often difficult to achieve many goals without resilience and determination. 

• Join a like-minded community: Surrounding yourself with people with similar goals may help you stay focused. Whether through local clubs, online forums, or regular meet-ups, being part of a community can keep you committed to your goals. While it may not be possible to find a community for less-popular resolutions, it is possible that an internet search will reveal niche communities that can help support your goal. 

Stay flexible and be open to making changes as needed. In addition, having a positive mindset and believing in your ability to change may also help increase your chances of sticking to your resolutions.

Support options 

Therapy may be a helpful tool for people struggling to stick to their resolutions. With therapy, individuals can identify challenges that may be affecting their motivation. However, during the holiday season, finding the motivation to participate in face-to-face sessions may be difficult. In these cases, online therapy may be preferable or more available. 

Preliminary research suggests that online therapy can be effective in tackling procrastination, a common obstacle in maintaining popular resolutions. Online platforms like BetterHelp provide a network of licensed therapists that can offer tailored professional advice. Through the platform, you can be matched with a therapist whose expertise fits your resolutions. In addition, you can choose a time slot that fits your schedule, including outside of standard business hours.