If you are reading this blog post, I doubt you would say “I don’t make resolutions or goals every year.” This space is for people looking to improve, make progress and find confidence in setting goals for themselves and their lives. For goal setters and resolution makers! I hope you know how special you are. You are in the minority. Pew Research Center reports that only 3 out of 10 people create a new year resolution. They also report “Nearly a month into the new year, the survey also finds that most people who made resolutions have stuck with them”.
Does this align with your experience? If yes, YOU ROCK! If no, I have some suggestions to help you achieve your resolution or goal in 2026.
Take your time setting a resolution or goal for the new year.
December 31st is a day people celebrate the end of a year and look forward to the next. This is also when most people think about and set a resolution or goal for the new year. One day is not enough time to create a successful resolution or goal. If you do not have a resolution or goal by January 1, it is OK! It is better to have a well-researched achievable goal than an uneducated emotionally set goal.
Review your actions for the past year.
Don’t create your resolution or goal for the new year until you have completed an end of year assessment. This will inform you of areas where you are most likely to be successful and areas where you will face challenges. There are many ways an end of year assessment can be accomplished. You may need to jump into detective mode to find information. As you search, highlight achievements/joyful events and areas to improve/struggle bus times. Here is what I typically suggest people review:
- Events/appointments to see where you have been spending your time.
- A wall or paper planner.
- A cork board or memory box with trinkets from special events throughout the year.
- A calendar app on your phone.
- Social media posts beginning with January and write down important events.
- The digital well-being report on your phone.
- Any to-do lists and completed tasks if you track on an app or in a paper planner.
- Compare January and November banking and other financial statements.
- Compare your January weight to today’s.
This should only take you a few hours over a couple of days. Another option is to follow Jon Acuff’s steps for “doing a time audit and saving time” via the link provided at the end of this blog post.
Celebrate achievements of the past year.
Your annual review should end with a celebration. Take a moment or day to honor all the hard work and moments of bravery you experienced this past year. Don’t move on to the next thing until you have taken a breath to look at your achievements and feel the joy of success. This moment will give you the confidence you will need to achieve the resolution and/or goal you set next.
Identify areas you want to improve.
Ask yourself the following questions once you have a list of actions from the past year.
- Did I begin the year with a resolution or goal? Was it well defined?
- Did my resolution or goal align with my priorities and values?
- Was my resolution or goal visible throughout the year? Did I review them after January?
- Did I spend my most limited resources (Time and Energy) on most important values and goals?
Identify areas you felt challenged.
Ask yourself,
- What happened that tempted or allowed me to stop pursuing a resolution or goal?
- What could I have done to not lose focus on my resolution or goal? Holding on to progress made and not moving forward during challenges is success!
- Were my goals not specific enough?
- Did I finish my goal early and not give myself permission to rest?
Set resolutions or goals based on your reality.
Now you know where you have spent your time and the challenges you faced over the past year. Use this information to create specific and realistic goals that align with your values and priorities for the coming year. Example, a goal of “Exercise more” is not specific enough. “Take a walk during lunch 3 times a week when I am not recovering from cancer treatments” is trackable and flexible.
Don’t forget to look at your digital wellbeing to see how much of this time you can use towards the new resolution or goal.
Challenge your new resolution and goal.
Can achieve them when facing any ongoing or new challenges? Review this list of goals against the challenges you found to plan how you will respond when they present themselves in your life. Think about other possible challenges and how you will approach them.
Find accountability.
Put up a sign or wallpaper on your phone to remind you of your resolution and goal daily.
Set a date in the future to review your goals and how you are doing. Celebrate progress and identify what you can do next to continue making progress. Don’t forget to adjust if you need to hold on to the progress you made during times you find yourself being challenged.
Find a buddy. Tony Robbins believes “With an accountability partner in your corner, you are much more likely to stay focused, follow through and crush your goals in record time.”
Let me be that accountability partner for you. I can help you define a resolution or goal that is not only specific but also contains the motivation you need to achieve it.
As of this posting, there are 3 free coaching series available for 2026.
Links to help you dig in:
Jon Acuff has a great podcast about doing a time audit and saving time.
Life Coach Patience 