How to stick to your New Year's resolutions

This story is part of our mental health series. Find out more here.

New year, new you. But before you start on your resolutions for 2025, think back on what you accomplished in 2024.

Did you pick up a positive new habit? Start living more sustainably? That’s what Elaine Berlinger from Arizona did. She set goals for 2024 she could incorporate into her daily life for years to come.

This year, she says she focused on bringing reusable bags to the grocery store and not using straws when drinking soft drinks. Plus, she vowed to camp or travel every month of 2024 and says that goal took her to some amazing places.

“I met some amazing people and friends along the way,” Berlinger says. “I hiked some of the most difficult and strenuous trails for me, kayaked some unforgettable rivers and lakes, and saw so many stars in the sky that it was hard to close my eyes to sleep.”

Maybe you met a goal related to your health. Texas resident Mary Linton says she accomplished her goal of not drinking alcohol for an entire year.

Sherrill Knight from Asheville, North Carolina, says her New Year’s resolution every year is to drink more water. But she notes how challenging Hurricane Helene and the resulting water shortages made it last year.

“FEMA stepped up within a few days and began delivering massive amounts of water in big casks and by the crate,” Linton says. “So I was able to keep my resolution.”

Instead of setting direct resolutions, Leah Welburn from Auburn, Alabama, decided to set an intention for the year to live by.

“I chose themes of connection, commitment and joy,” Welburn says. “They helped me as I went through life to try and shift things and make the life I want.”

The start of a new year signifies a new start to many people, says Katy Milkman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and author of the book “How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be.”

“All of us have something in our lives that we could get a little better at, right? None of us are already perfect,” Milkman says. “The new year is a moment — and it's one of many moments, but it's the best recognized — when we recognize on our calendar a new beginning. These new beginnings give us a sense of a breaking point and a clean slate and they make us optimistic.”

But resolutions aren’t always easy to keep. Milkman notes that a lot of people start the year with intentions to meet a goal, but don’t follow through after a few weeks or months. And, Milkman says, that’s not indicative of their willpower; Even if the outcome of a resolution is desirable, the steps to get there need to feel enjoyable too in order to follow through.

“If we don't enjoy the activity we need to engage in day in and day out to get to our goal, we quit because of present bias. We care more about the instant gratification and the experience,” Milkman says. “We have to focus on that: How do you make the experience of pursuing your goal something that's enjoyable?”

To make those seemingly tedious tasks more pleasurable, Milkman recommends combining them with something you enjoy. For example, if your goal is to exercise more, try watching a TV show you like while you’re on the treadmill.

Getting other people involved in your goals can also help you stay committed, Milkman says. When Linton decided to stop drinking alcohol, she says she relied on a group chat with her brothers for support, motivation and accountability.

Milkman says you can even take it a step further and set a ‘penalty’ for yourself if you fail to meet a goal. She shares an example: For every week you don’t go to the gym, you have to make a monetary donation to charity.

“What research shows is actually that these are tremendously effective when we sort of set up constraints, boundaries, and confines for ourselves,” Milkman says. “That can be very motivating and can sort of bring forward the pain of failure in a way that makes it more salient and present in our mind.”

Avoid setting goals that are too vague, Milkman says. Instead, concrete goals with clear paths to success will be easier to achieve. She says that Berlinger’s goal to stop using plastic straws and bags is a great example.

“The implementation becomes easier and more likely because the follow-through action steps are so clear,” Milkman says.

If you’ve seen a friend accomplish something you want to achieve, Milkman says to just ask them how they did it and follow their advice.

“A lot of people don't think to do this, but copying and pasting other people's habits, or other people's strategies for forming habits, is a really effective tool,” Milkman says. “Part of why it works is you get that social support, but also you get insights that are ready-made for your exact situation.”