5 Tips for Making Your New Year’s Resolutions Stick in 2023

“New year, new me!”

Sound familiar? As January 1 rolls around, you’ll probably hear quite a few people utter this increasingly common phrase. You’re also bound to scroll through many “new year, new me”-centric posts on your social media feed. It’s the unofficial mantra to kick off the year.

While “new year, new me” has a nice sound rolling off the tongue, it may not be the most practical approach to the new year. That’s probably because it suggests that we can somehow magically “replace” ourselves with a new and better version. In reality, that is a very tall order, But worry not, the good news is that we can create goals that can help us improve the person we already are. This is where New Year’s resolutions come in!

Whether it’s changing old habits or establishing new routines, setting New Year’s resolutions, and sticking to them, can be surprisingly rewarding. And this year, we are sharing our list of the 5 best tips to help you make your New Year’s resolutions stick in 2023.

It may be challenging, but we promise, it’s not impossible. You got this!

Keep It Simple and Be Realistic

There’s no need to worry over New Year’s resolutions or make them overly complex. Instead, keep it simple and set realistic goals. Then, pace yourself. For example, if you want to start working out, begin with 2 days a week, then slowly work up to 3 days a week. You can add on more after that. These small incremental changes make it easier to stick to your resolution.

Choose a Specific Goal

While New Year’s resolutions like “lose weight,” “save money,” or “live life to the fullest” are incredibly common, they can be hard to implement and measure. Instead, it might be a good idea to choose a more specific, achievable goal. For example, committing to losing 20 pounds as an “year-end goal” or within a specific timeline, identifying a higher percentage of our income to contribute to 401(k) that is actually reasonable, or taking on a new hobby that we’ve always wanted to try that will fit our schedule. The more specific the goal, the easier and more enjoyable it will be.

Don’t Be So Hard on Yourself

Nobody is perfect, and we all have bad days. We might even experience some hiccups on the road to achieving our New Year’s resolutions. But we don’t have to beat ourselves up about it – we’ve got goals to achieve, so be kind to ourselves and get back on the horse! As the wise Jay-Z once said, “you gotta get that dirt off your shoulder” and keep things moving.

Find an Ideal Sidekick

Batman has Robin. Han Solo has Chewbacca. Ariel has Flounder. What does this tell us? Well, it sometimes helps to have a sidekick! Try to find a family member or friend who has the same New Year’s resolution and partner up. Partnering up makes it easier to hold each other accountable and motivate each other on those rough days. Having a sidekick also makes sticking to resolutions more fun.

Celebrate Success Along the Way

New Year’s resolutions take some time so it’s important to reward ourselves when we’ve made some progress. As they say, “treat yourself!” If your goal is to write in your journal every day and you make it three entire weeks with consecutive entries, reward yourself with something that will make you smile. It could be a donut, a glass of wine or indulging in a guilty pleasure like binging episodes of your favorite TV show (go ahead, we won’t tell a soul).

Feeling a bit more confident about your New Year’s resolutions? We hope this article put you in the spirit to tackle your goals with ease! We can’t wait to share in a year of new beginnings with you here at The Bradford Exchange.