We’ve all heard about new year’s resolutions and people’s failed attempts at being healthy or saving money. However, while resolutions often fall flat, some people actually end up sticking to their goals.

Some of the most common resolutions involve improving one’s health, whether it be exercising more, eating healthier, drinking more water, or getting more sleep. Of course, most people who make these resolutions don’t actually stick to their goals. According to uabmedicine.org, less than 8% of people follow through with their resolutions. 

However, whether people end up successfully making a difference in their lives or not, the couple of weeks in which they are successful are still better than nothing at all. Setting a resolution and sticking to it for just a few days gives people a chance to improve. Nathan Nguyen (11) adds that “it’s better to have a goal or resolution so that you can at least follow it for a period of time instead of making no changes at all.”

Resolutions can also be more effective than regular goals. An aspect of human nature is that we tend to like definite and clear start lines. Similar to starting a workout on a Monday or getting up to do homework at 3:30 instead of 3:19, the new year allows us to feel like we have a fresh start even though it may just be a different number on the calendar.

In order to keep resolutions for as long as possible, you may have googled some tips or asked your friends for advice. They might have said something along the lines of making more specific goals, outlining a plan, or tracking your progress. Sure, these may be helpful, but one of the best ways to keep your resolutions is to start early.

You may be thinking that starting early defeats the purpose of a new year’s resolution, but it’s a little more complex. First, use a couple of weeks before the new year as a practice round. If you mess up, no big deal. Next, once the new year starts and everyone else has the motivation to follow their resolutions, you will not want to be left out. Then, when others start to fall behind, think of it as keeping a streak. Lastly, let the resolution become an everyday habit that you don’t have to think about. Try it out. If it still doesn’t work out, at least you got a few good days in.