How to Set New Year Resolutions That Actually Stick

The information provided in this blog post about new year resolutions is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. The author of this post is not a professional financial advisor, and the content presented here is based solely on personal opinions, experiences, and research. This blog post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may earn a commission if you click on the link and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. Please note that I only recommend products or services that I personally use and believe will add value to my readers.

The new year is the best time of year to reflect, set resolutions, and plan your next steps and goals.

Most people, however, set New Year’s resolutions and forget about them before January is over.

Then, at the end of the year, they are back at square one, setting the same resolutions from the year before, hoping this time it will be different.

If you’re reading this post, you’ve probably been stuck in this cycle, craving to make a change, but unsure how.

I felt the same way for years, but because of my yearly reset ritual, I have been able to stick to my New Year’s resolutions, become the woman I’ve always dreamed of being, and create a life I love.

You can, too! In this post, I am going to break down the yearly reset ritual I use to set my New Year’s resolutions, create goals that align with them, and build an action plan to accomplish them!

Let’s get into it!

Step #1: Start With A Life Audit

Life audits are the perfect way to address where you are currently, so you can reset and begin creating a life you love.

I have an entire post dedicated to completing a life audit that you can check out here:

The Life Audit You Need For A Powerful New Year Reset

So I won’t go into much depth here, but life audits help you:

Reflect on what’s working and what you’d like to change based on the past year.
Audit the main areas of your life (finances, habits, career, health, etc.)
Identify what feels aligned and where you’d like your life to lead.

This reflection in the life audit lays the foundation for setting new year’s resolutions that will actually stick!

Want help with a guided life audit?

I have created a 40+ page guided Life Audit Blueprint workbook to help you:

Reflect on your current reality.
Visualize your dream life and long-term vision.
Set your New Year’s resolutions and goals.
Build your action plan to achieve them.

You can snag it here!

This workbook makes completing your life audit simple, repeatable, and structured.

Step #2: Reflect & Visualize

Visualizing who you want to become is key to creating New Year’s resolutions that you will want to stick to.

Here are some specific journal prompts to help reflect and set your New Year’s resolutions:

What moments from this past year am I most proud of?
Where am I settling out of comfort or fear?
If nothing changes, what will my life look like this time next year?
What would a “successful year” look like for me?
If I could focus on just 3 priorities this year, what would they be?
What New Year’s resolutions would support the life I’m trying to build?

When you reflect on your past year, it is critical that you be honest with yourself!

If you want extra guidance, download my FREE 50+ prompt Life Audit journaling guide to help you reflect on the past year and set intentional New Year’s resolutions:

Choose Your Priorities & New Year’s Resolutions

Once you have journaled, it is time to choose your priorities, set your New Year’s resolutions and goals.

Through your journaling, you have probably identified where you would like to make changes in your life.

I recommend choosing 1-3 major priorities for the new year and setting your resolutions and goals based on them.

If you already have an idea of what you want your priorities and new year’s resolutions to be, great!

Use those as you move forward throughout this yearly reset.

If you do not know what you want your goals or New Year’s resolutions to be, look at your journaling reflections, review the audits you did for each area of your life, and choose themes or recurring items that you would like to focus on for your yearly priorities and resolutions!

Last year, my goal / priority was to launch my business. Based on this goal, I had to break it down into smaller goals that built on each other until I was ready to launch my business.

We will go deeper into this breakdown process later in this post, so stay tuned!

For now, choose your main priorities for the year, or decide which New Year’s resolutions you would like to focus on, and any goals you may have for the year.

Create a Vision Board for Your New Year’s Resolutions

I have a post coming soon on how to make a vision board that *actually* works, but for now I am going to break it down here briefly.

First things first, start with the steps I listed previously in this blog post.

Once you have done that, it is time to create your vision board based on your priorities, goals, and vision.

I recommend using your long-term vision, then breaking it down into short-term goals to help you achieve it.

For your vision board, I recommend making one each year or for each season of your life. Your goals and vision are going to change, so should your vision board.

Turning Your Goals Into a Vision Board

I recommend browsing Pinterest and choosing photos that align with each area of your life, your priorities, and your goals.

For instance, on my vision board, I knew my priorities were to launch my business, work on home renovations, prioritize my physical and mental well-being, and make date nights with my husband a priority this year.

For each of these areas of my life, I found photos that resonated with me and sparked emotion. You want to easily be able to correlate each photo with a specific priority or goal.

Once you have found your photos, decide whether you will create a digital or physical vision board!

I recommend using Canva for digital vision boards. There are a ton of templates and stock images you can use! You can also use Canva to create your board and print it!

Personally, I like to have a physical copy and a digital copy!

Lastly, display this somewhere you will see it often! You can not just create a vision board and forget it. You need to be reminded of it daily!

I have mine in my bathroom, but it could be in your bedroom, at your desk, on your phone’s background, or your desktop image!

Build Habits & Routines That Support Your New Year’s Resolutions

Now is the time to brainstorm habits, routines, and changes that will help you reach your goals and New Year’s resolutions.

Look at your priorities and goals that you have chosen.

Ask yourself these things:

What does my current schedule realistically allow for?
Which habits would directly support my New Year’s resolutions?
What small daily or weekly actions would move the needle the most?
When do I tend to fall off track — mornings, evenings, weekends, or busy seasons?
How can I make this habit easier to start?

Most people fail with their New Year’s resolutions because they do not set realistic habits and routines that fit their current lifestyle.

Make sure you are setting yourself up for success by reflecting honestly on what changes you can make now.

Start with one small thing and build on it over time.

Choosing habits and routines may feel easier once you have created your action plan in the next step of your yearly reset.

Create an Action Plan for Your New Year’s Resolutions

The number one way to make sure you stick to your New Year’s resolutions is to create an action plan to achieve them.

As I mentioned earlier, my main goal last year was to launch this business. To do that, I had to break this large goal into smaller weekly, monthly, and quarterly goals to stay on track and know how to achieve it!

Basically, you want to look at the big goal and work backwards, breaking it down into the small daily, weekly, and monthly actions that will actually move you closer to achieving it.

The Life Audit Blueprint workbook provides a detailed breakdown of this, along with worksheets to help you identify action steps and create an action plan for each of your goals.

Start by listing all the action steps that may need to be completed in order for you to reach this goal.

Now is the time to identify the first steps and outline this plan.

Once you know exactly what needs to be done, set goals for each step and identify the specific daily, weekly, and monthly actions needed to achieve those smaller goals.

Goal setting and action plans are among my favorite tools for creating a life you love, and this method has helped me achieve many of the goals I have set over the years!

Put Your New Year’s Resolutions Into Action

Once you have created your vision board, set your habits and routines, and broken down your long-term goals, it is time to take action!

You don’t need to have it all figured out. Your goals, timeline, and vision may change, and that’s okay!

You simply need to start!

Focus on your daily and weekly habits, and action steps that will help you make the changes you desire in your life.

New year’s resolutions aren’t meant to change your life overnight. They are meant to guide you, motivate you, and help you build a life that you love over time.

If you want extra support as you work through this process, I have a couple of resources to help:

The Life Audit Blueprint Workbook — a 40+ page guided workbook designed to help you reflect on your current reality, visualize your dream life, set intentional New Year’s resolutions, and create a clear action plan you can revisit year after year.
Free 50 Life Audit Journal Prompts — perfect if you want gentle guidance to reflect, reset, and gain clarity before jumping into goal-setting!

With this method and the resources I have provided, this is the year your New Year’s resolutions will actually stick! You’ve got this!

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