We are approaching the end of the year, an opportunity to reflect on the progress you have made toward personal goals and set new ones for the upcoming year. According to a 2024 Pew Research survey, 30 percent of U.S. adults make at least one New Year’s resolution.

New Year’s resolutions reflect a desire for personal growth. The majority of resolutions revolve around health goals such as exercising more often or eating healthier, reaching personal financial milestones, and addressing interpersonal relationships. Despite good intentions, the majority fail to stick to their New Year’s resolutions for a variety of reasons.

First of all, healthy habits do not yield immediate results. You will not reach your health goals after a week of exercising and mindful eating. The same holds true for personal finance or relationship goals. This makes you vulnerable to disappointment and discouragement because the outcome of your efforts does not meet your expectations.

A second reason is that healthy habits require some initial expenditure of effort, focus, and energy. Consider different healthy habits such as going for a walk, preparing a nutritious meal, reading a book, or journaling. What these behaviors have in common is that they require an initial investment in effort, focus, and energy.

On the other hand, unhealthy habits such as eating junk food, consuming alcohol, or bingeing Netflix reruns do not require any effort or energy. You naturally drift into these behaviors, especially when you feel depleted at the end of the workday. It is human nature to pursue the path of least resistance, especially when you are exhausted.

Of course, unhealthy habits come at a cost to your physical, mental, and social health. You don’t feel good about yourself after falling for these vices. This is why you need to anchor your life around healthy habits. The end of the year provides a natural opportunity to reset and consider how to incorporate healthy habits in your life.

If you are reluctant to set New Year’s resolutions because previous attempts have failed, don’t be discouraged. It is preferable to try even if you ultimately fail because failure comes with valuable life lessons that lead to personal growth.

Here are five tips to help you set and stick to your New Year’s resolutions.

1. Set the bar low.

Most people fail to stick to New Year’s resolutions because the outcomes fail to meet their expectations. This is understandable. It is difficult to continue investing in a behavior when you are not reaping the expected benefits.

Remember that it will take time before you start to reap benefits from a new behavior. Be it exercise, eating healthier, or saving money, it will take months before you notice progress. Setting a low bar of expectations by not expecting immediate results can prevent you from becoming discouraged and abandoning your New Year’s resolution.

1. Be patient with yourself.

New Year’s resolutions often involve a new behavior that you may not be familiar with. Be patient with yourself, as it can take time to fine-tune the new behavior for optimal results.

Remember, it can take months for a new behavior to become habitual. The key is to be consistent and perform the behavior enough times to make it an automatic part of your life. You will reap the benefits of your New Year’s resolution when it becomes a habit that is integrated into your daily life.

1. Don’t strive for perfection.

Perfectionists fall for the “all-or-nothing” fallacy. According to perfectionists, if an outcome is not perfect, then it is a complete failure. Such a mindset does not allow for any margin of error. It comes with a broad definition of failure, but a narrow definition of success. As a result, perfectionists are more likely to become discouraged when outcomes do not meet their expectations.

As an example, I worked with a physician who had abandoned exercise during their residency training. On the surface, this appeared to be due to the long, grueling hours of training. However, our work together revealed that perfectionism was a subtle saboteur that prevented them from exercising.

Prior to their residency training, this individual used to train for long races. Their training lasted multiple hours per session. Naturally, they could not dedicate such time to exercise during residency. However, our work together revealed that they could dedicate 20 to 30 minutes to exercise a few times per week. It was their "all-or-nothing" mindset that made them completely abandon any form of exercise.

What perfectionists often fail to appreciate is that something is better than nothing. Even a 15-minute walk, a few sets of calisthenics, or some light stretching is better than zero physical activity. Don’t allow perfectionism to get in the way of showing up for yourself.

1. Give yourself grace.

Be mindful of how your Inner Critic lashes out the first time you fail to stick to your New Year’s resolution. A harsh Inner Critic makes it less likely that you will stick to your goals.

Tame your Inner Critic by practicing self-compassion. Recognize that failure is part of the human condition. There will be times when you don’t stick to your New Year’s resolutions for a myriad of reasons, such as becoming ill, excessive work responsibilities, or unfortunate life circumstances. The key is to give yourself grace and return to your healthy habit as soon as feasible.

1. Have an accountability buddy.

Establishing a new behavior is easier when you have a friend holding you accountable. For example, it can be difficult to abstain from alcohol or junk food if it is abundant in your house and being consumed in front of you.

Having an accountability friend can help you stay the course even when you are lower on willpower because others can remind you of the progress you have made. It is also harder to slack off when someone is watching. We deeply care about what others think of us and don’t want to let them down.