Start Today, Succeed Tomorrow: Beyond New Year's Resolutions

Why do so many New Year’s resolutions fail, and what can you do differently to make your goals stick?

New Year’s resolutions often feel like a fresh start—a chance to reinvent yourself and create new habits. But here’s the truth: waiting until January 1 to make a change might be setting yourself up for failure. The majority of people—55%—give up on their New Year’s resolutions after one month. As the months pass, the resolve wanes even further.

So do yourself a favor and don’t wait. Whatever your goals for the New Year may be, start now. By taking the first steps today, you’ll give yourself the best possible chance to succeed in the long term.

Strategies for Success

To increase your chances of achieving your goals, consider these strategies:

• Start Early: Initiating your goals before January can help you avoid the negative associations tied to New Year’s resolutions and build new neural pathways associated with success.

• Set Specific and Realistic Goals: Ensure your objectives are attainable and specific. For example, instead of saying “Eat healthier,” specify “I will add one vegetable to my dinner 3 days a week.”

Starting small ensures that your resolution is realistic and achievable. Research from BJ Fogg’s Tiny Habits framework shows that small, incremental changes are more likely to stick because they feel doable and create positive momentum.

• Track Progress: Keeping a log of your achievements can motivate you and help you stay accountable. Track your progress and successes using habit tracking apps or a journal. Focus on consistency over perfection and celebrate your successes along the way.

• Start Small: Start with small, specific changes rather than big, vague ones. This sets you up for success because when you feel successful, you’re much more likely to stick with it and build upon your success.

• Create a System: Achieving a resolution isn’t about willpower; it’s about having a plan. Goals like “exercise more” usually fail because they lack a clear process. Instead, create a system that supports your goal. For example:

  • Goal: Walk 10,000 steps daily.

  • System: Set a daily reminder on your phone, schedule a lunchtime walk, and keep comfortable walking shoes in your car or at your desk.

  James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, emphasizes the importance of systems, explaining that “You do not rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the level of your systems.”

• Define Your Why: Why do you want to move more? Maybe it’s to have more energy, reduce stress, or be able to play with your grandchildren. Having a clear reason will keep you motivated.

What To Do if You Miss a Day

Missing a day isn’t a failure. It’s a detour. Studies show that consistency matters more than perfection. Instead of giving up, view a missed day as a learning opportunity.

• Analyze without Judgment: Instead of thinking “I failed” or “I’m not disciplined enough,” approach the situation like a scientist. Ask yourself:

  • What exactly happened? (Be specific about the circumstances)

  • What was different about this day?

  • What time did the miss occur?

  For example, instead of “I skipped my workout because I'm lazy,” try “I didn't exercise on Tuesday because I had an unexpected late meeting and felt too tired afterward.”

• Identify Specific Triggers: Look for patterns and specific obstacles that derailed your habit:

  • Environmental triggers (Was your gym bag not packed? Did you run out of healthy food options?)

  • Time-based triggers (Did it happen during a particularly busy part of your day?)

  • Emotional triggers (Were you stressed, tired, or overwhelmed?)

  • Social triggers (Did certain people or situations impact your decision?)

• Adjust your system: Use what you learned to strengthen your habit system.

  • If you missed morning exercise because you were too tired, could you go to bed earlier the night before?

  • If you skipped meditation because you ran late, could you set your alarm 10 minutes earlier?

  • If you ate unhealthy food because nothing else was available, could you meal-prep, or shop for and keep healthy snacks on hand?

  The key is to make small, specific adjustments rather than dramatic overhauls.

• Resume Immediately: The most crucial step is to return to your habit immediately:

  • Don’t wait for Monday.

  • Don't try to “make up for it” with extreme behavior.

  • Don’t let one missed day become two.

  • Start again with your next scheduled opportunity.

  For example: If you miss a morning workout, don’t wait until tomorrow—do a short walk at lunch or some stretches in the evening.

Common Examples

Here’s how this process might look in practice:

Missed Workout Example:

• Analysis: Skipped Thursday workout because meeting ran late.

• Trigger: Encountered schedule-conflict during planned gym time.

• System adjustment: Schedule workouts for early morning before activities can interfere.

• Resume: Do a quick home workout today, then get back to your regular schedule tomorrow.

Healthy Eating Example:

• Analysis: Ordered takeout instead of cooking planned healthy meal.

• Trigger: Too tired to cook after long work day.

• System adjustment: Prep meals on Sunday and keep healthy frozen meals as backup.

• Resume: Next meal is a fresh start, don’t wait for tomorrow.

The goal is to learn from interruptions rather than letting them derail you completely. Over time, this approach helps build resilience and creates more robust habits that can withstand occasional disruptions.

Adopting a mindset of flexibility and self-compassion will help you get back on track without losing momentum.

The Power of Neuroplasticity and Learned Behavior

One of the key reasons to start today is neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to adapt and change throughout your life. Every time you repeat a behavior, you strengthen neural pathways, thereby making it easier or harder to repeat that action in the future. Starting your new habit now instead of waiting until January 1 avoids the negativity of past failures in adhering to New Year’s resolutions.

For example, if you’ve made resolutions consistently throughout the years and haven’t followed through or have given up after a few days, weeks, or months, your neural pathways associate resolutions with failure, which makes it harder for you to succeed this time. However, if you begin to implement your objective now rather than waiting until January 1, you can develop a new neural pathway for your habit that doesn’t have the negative baggage you associate with a “New Year’s resolution.”

Repeated, intentional practice is crucial for creating lasting habits. The sooner you begin, the more time you’ll have to build those pathways, thereby ensuring your new habit becomes a lasting change.

Why Waiting Is a Mistake

The belief that change should begin on January 1 can lead to procrastination and missed opportunities. Every day you delay is a day you could be strengthening those neural pathways, creating routines, and building momentum. Starting now means you’ll have a head start when the New Year arrives, and your goal will have started to feel like a habit instead of a daunting task.

So don’t wait. The perfect time to start is today! By starting small, being specific, and creating a solid system, you’ll set yourself up for a successful and sustainable habit. Remember, progress, not perfection, is the goal.

• What small, sustainable change could you commit to right now that would positively impact your health and happiness?

• Instead of aiming for perfection, what if you simply take one small step to move closer to your goals every day? What does that look like for you?