--- title: 9 Steps to New Year’s Resolutions That Last Longer Than New Year’s Day description: This year I resolve to… Hold on a second. Let’s not join the lemmings who screw this up every year. 88% of people fail to... canonical: https://time.com/3650052/keep-new-year-resolutions/ author: Eric Barker article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-01-01T05:01:46.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T08:06:30.855Z article:section: Ideas og:title: 9 Steps to New Year’s Resolutions That Last Longer Than New Year’s Day og:description: This year I resolve to… Hold on a second. Let’s not join the lemmings who screw this up every year. 88% of people fail to... og:url: https://time.com/3650052/keep-new-year-resolutions/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4c98046f85344413/698777a0a988ca45c46aba65/january-new-year-resolution.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3497 og:image:height: 1967 og:image:alt: New Years resolution pinboard og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 9 Steps to New Year’s Resolutions That Last Longer Than New Year’s Day twitter:description: This year I resolve to… Hold on a second. Let’s not join the lemmings who screw this up every year. 88% of people fail to... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4c98046f85344413/698777a0a988ca45c46aba65/january-new-year-resolution.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 9 Steps to New Year’s Resolutions That Last Longer Than New Year’s Day > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. Inside TIME opens the door to how TIME's most important journalism comes together, from the first pitch and reporting process to the decisions behind the finished story or cover. 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Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Jan 1, 2015 5:01 AM UTC  New Years resolution pinboard New Years resolution pinboard Getty Images by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Jan 1, 2015 5:01 AM UTC [_This year I resolve to…_](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/07/what-are-proven-tips-that-will-help-you-achie/) **Hold on a second. Let’s not join the lemmings who screw this up every year.** 88% of people [fail to achieve their New Year’s Resolutions.](http://www.quirkology.com/UK/Experiment%5Fresolution.shtml) There is a ton of science on this subject so if we want to do New Year’s Resolutions, let’s do them right. ## First, Stop Fantasizing Do fantasies give you the energy to achieve your goals? Nope. [**Fantasies steal the energy you need to achieve your goals**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/10/does-fantasizing-give-you-the-motivation-to-a/)**:** --- > “” --- You’re getting the reward before you’ve done the work and this kills your motivation. Don’t celebrate on mile 3 of the marathon. Itching to express something about your resolution? No problem: **Write your goals down.** Writing about goals [makes you happier](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-should-you-write-about-if-you-want-to-in) and makes you [more likely to follow through with them](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-little-thing-can-increase-the-chance-peo). Now it’s time to grit your teeth and get to work? Wrong. ## Willpower Is Limited **Relying on self-control only is a sucker’s bet.** Roy Baumeister, author of the bestseller [Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143122231/?tag=spacforrent-20), explained in our [interview](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/06/increase-willpower/): --- > “” --- You are not going to muscle through with willpower. You cannot sprint for miles. Change takes planning and strategy. So what’s the first step? ## New Year’s Resolution — _Singular_ How to conserve that limited resource of willpower? **Conquer one resolution at a time.** This way you exert less willpower and concentrate what you have. Roy [recommends this specifically](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/06/increase-willpower/): --- > “” --- What else works? **Making something habitual means you don’t have to exert willpower.** You spend [40% of every day on autopilot](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-much-of-the-day-do-we-spend-on-autopilot), just performing habits and it’s not exhausting at all. Here’s [Roy again](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/06/increase-willpower/): --- > “” --- So how do you get the ball rolling when trying to start a new good habit? ## Minimum Viable Effort It’s okay to be a little lazy at first. Literally, just do the minimum. **The key to new good habits is to do the minimum and be consistent.** Stanford researcher BJ Fogg calls it “Minimum Viable Effort”: The first step is crucial — keep it tiny. Do not be ambitious yet. That leads to failure. Consistency is what you’re shooting for here so make the hurdle as low as possible. **In fact, make it so low you’ll feel stupid that you were unable to do something that literally would have taken** **_seconds_** **.** But what if you want to get rid of a bad habit? Well, that’s different… ## Replace, Not Kill **The secret to breaking bad habits is to not try to eliminate them but** [**to replace them**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-the-secret-to-breaking-bad-habits-forev)**.** **The first step is awareness.** That cigarette doesn’t magically appear in your mouth. [Noticing yourself acting habitually](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-you-dramatically-change-peoples-behavior) is a big first step. **Next is find your trigger.** What starts you down the road to that habit? _I get stressed and then I eat. I get bored and then I want a cigarette._ **Next is replace.** What are you going to do now when that trigger arises? Establish something new to take the place of the old habit. Charles Duhigg, author of [The Power of Habit](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400069289/?tag=spacforrent-20), explains the whole process: Sounds challenging, right? What can make this easier? ## Make A Plan Richard Wiseman did [a study of people who achieved their resolutions](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/07/what-are-proven-tips-that-will-help-you-achie/) and found that **people who succeeded had a plan.** He sums up the results in under a minute here: “_But planning is hard…_“, you say. Want a powerful but passive way to increase your chance of success? Get ready to move some furniture. ## Manipulate Context **Manipulate your environment so as to** [**make what you should do easy and what you shouldn’t do hard.**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/04/whats-the-most-effective-way-to-change-you-be/) You can resist bad habits by [avoiding the triggers](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-can-we-resist-our-bad-habits) that make you want to do them. [Context is key](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/01/what-did-heroin-addiction-during-the-vietnam/). **Change your environment so you don’t have to exert self-control.** Throw out the donuts. Hide the booze. This has been shown [to be very powerful](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-did-heroin-addiction-during-the-vietnam). Via [Habit](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LB5J14/?tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- If you can make good habits take 20 seconds less time to perform and bad habits 20 seconds longer, [you’ll likely see big changes in your behavior](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/06/is-the-20-second-rule-the-key-to-being-your-b/). Adding things to your environment can be a big help too: **Reminders to do the right thing (like** [**signs**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-does-it-take-to-improve-your-behavior) **or even** [**text messages**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-text-messages-make-you-healthier-and-rich)**) work.** ## Superfriends Context isn’t just inanimate objects. **Friends are** [**one of our biggest influences**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/06/are-your-friends-the-easiest-route-to-self-im/) **and can be** [**a potent tool for habit change**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/03/whats-the-key-to-radically-changing-your-life/)**.** Via [100 Simple Secrets of Happy Families](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FC1PHK/?tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- From Charles Duhigg’s excellent book [The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400069289/?tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- But how do we sustain all this? ## It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over Ironically, studies show saying “I’ll never do that again” [makes you even more likely to do that again](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-saying-ill-never-do-that-again-make-you). **Expect to fumble.** It’s okay. In Richard Wiseman’s [study of people who achieved their goals](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/07/what-are-proven-tips-that-will-help-you-achie/) he realized we should: --- > “” --- So you say you’re not going to eat cookies. Then you accidentally eat a cookie. That’s not when the diet is blown. **The diet is blown when you eat the one cookie and say “So much for that resolution” —** **_and then devour the rest of the bag._** Don’t get discouraged. There are so many tools to help you. (“If-then” scenarios are [one of the most powerful tools](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-are-two-tricks-to-making-good-habits-sti) for resisting triggers. [Commitment Devices](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/08/what-are-the-two-steps-for-beating-procrastin/) work too.) **Overall, use** [**baby steps**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-can-you-easily-start-good-habits)**, focus on** [**consistency**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-an-excellent-productivity-secret-we-can) **above all else and** [**reward**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-can-we-learn-about-self-control-from-suc) **yourself for “**[**small wins**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-small-wins-the-secret-to-conquering-procr)**.** **”** This post is over but the challenge isn’t. This weekend I’ll be following up with more resources for sticking to your New Year’s Resolutions in [my weekly email](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD). If [Cookie Monster can improve his habits](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/12/ways-to-increase-willpower/), so can we. **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/12/new-years-resolutions/)**_._** **Join 45K+ readers and sign up for my** weekly update [here](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD). Related posts: [8 Things The World’s Most Successful People All Have In Common](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/12/successful-people/) [How To Make Your Life Better By Sending Five Simple Emails](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/07/make-your-life-better/) [What 10 things should you do every day to improve your life?](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/05/what-10-things-should-you-do-every-day-to-imp/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3650052/keep-new-year-resolutions/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3650052/keep-new-year-resolutions/"},"headline":"9 Steps to New Year’s Resolutions That Last Longer Than New Year’s Day","datePublished":"2015-01-01T05:01:46.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:06:30.855Z","description":"This year I resolve to… Hold on a second. 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