A Practical, Evidence-Based Guide to Success with New Year’s Resolutions

Written on: 5 January 2026

By Dr Ellie Caldwell

Your willpower is not the problem…

Every January, many of us approach change with a familiar mix of hope, determination, and quiet self-doubt.

We tell ourselves that this will be the year we finally follow through – spend less, move more, sleep better, eat more vegetables, feel more in control. When it proves harder than expected, it’s easy to assume the problem is a lack of discipline or motivation.

In reality, behaviour change is difficult because it asks us to work against habits, environments, routines and social norms that have built up over years. Most of us were never taught how behaviour change actually works, only that we should “try harder” when it doesn’t stick.

Happy New Year 2026 Image

The reassuring news is that there is a strong body of evidence showing that successful change doesn’t rely on willpower or perfection. It relies on practical techniques that make new behaviours easier to start, easier to repeat, and easier to return to after setbacks. These techniques are widely used in public health and behaviour change programmes because they work with human nature rather than against it.

This guide introduces a small number of those evidence-based techniques and shows how they can be applied to common New Year’s goals. You don’t need to change everything at once. You don’t need to get it right every day. You just need tools that help you keep going.

1.Set Clear Behaviour-focused goals

(Behaviour Change Technique: Goal setting – behaviour)

Many resolutions fail because they describe an outcome rather than a behaviour. “Be healthier” or “save more money” doesn’t tell you what to do today, tomorrow, or next week.

Behaviour-focused goals describe specific, observable actions. They make success clearer and reduce the mental effort of deciding what counts as progress.

Examples

  • Spending less money: “Limit non-essential spending to £50 per week”
  • Sleep: “Be in bed with lights off by 10:30 pm on weekdays”
  • Exercise: “Do 30 minutes of moderate activity three times per week”
  • Healthy eating: “Include at least three different vegetables with my main meal”

Why this matters: Clear goals support motivation by giving direction. They also make it easier to notice success, which helps reinforce the behaviour.

health salmon salad dish

2.tURN iNTENTIONS iNTO aCTION pLANS

(Behaviour Change Technique: Action planning)

Good intentions often fail at the point of action. Action planning bridges that gap by deciding when, where, and how the behaviour will happen.

Planning in advance reduces reliance on memory, mood, and motivation in the moment.

Examples

  • Spending: Decide which days you will shop, where, and with what budget
  • Sleep: Plan a consistent wind-down routine and a fixed start time
  • Exercise: Choose specific days, times, and locations for activity
  • Healthy eating: Plan meals in advance that prioritise vegetables and limit ultra-processed foods
Three women on a shopping trip

Why this matters: Action planning removes friction and decision fatigue, making follow-through more likely even on low-energy days.

3.Shape your environment to support change

(Behaviour Change Techniques: Prompts/cues; Adding objects to the environment; Restructuring the physical environment)

Behaviour is strongly influenced by what is easy, visible, and immediately available. Small environmental changes can have a powerful effect without requiring extra effort.

Examples

  • Spending: Remove saved card details; avoid browsing shopping apps
  • Sleep: Keep phones out of reach at night; dim lights in the evening
  • Exercise: Lay out workout clothes in advance; keep equipment visible
  • Healthy eating: Place the foods you aim to eat where you can see them; keep processed snacks out of sight

Why this matters: When the environment supports the behaviour, less willpower is required to act.

4.monitor behaviour gently & consistently

(Behaviour Change Technique: Self-monitoring of behaviour)

Tracking helps you notice patterns, stay aware, and identify what helps or hinders progress. Monitoring doesn’t need to be detailed or perfect to be useful.

Examples

  • Spending: Log purchases daily or review weekly totals
  • Sleep: Track bedtimes and wake times
  • Exercise: Tick off completed sessions on a calendar
  • Healthy eating: Track vegetable portions and processed food frequency

Why this matters: Self-monitoring increases awareness and provides useful information for adjustment, not judgement

5. anticipate problems with if-then planning

(Behaviour Change Techniques: Problem solving; Action planning)

All sorts of obstacles are likely to get in the way of your plan feeling easy – including both external and internal stumbling blocks. What matters most is having a plan for how to respond when they appear.

If–then planning involves deciding in advance how you will act in challenging situations.

Examples

  • Spending:
    If I feel an urge to “window shop” online, then I will watch a video on “shopping my wardrobe” and try some new clothing combinations instead.
  • Sleep:
    If it’s 45 minutes before my planned bedtime, then I will give myself 15 minutes to finish what I’m doing, and leave anything I can’t finish in that time to the next day.
helicopter view of blank writing pad
  • Exercise:
    If I feel like I don’t have the energy or motivation to do a workout, then I will go to the gym and just do five minutes of something easy (if I feel like doing longer I’ll stay, if not I’ll do some gentle stretching and come home).
  • Healthy eating:
    If I eat more processed food than planned, then I will focus on adding vegetables to my next meal rather than giving up for the rest of the week.

Why this matters: If–then plans reduce emotional reactions and help recovery become automatic rather than effortful.

6.Review Progress with Curiosity & Self-Compassion

(Behaviour Change Techniques: Review behaviour goals; Feedback on behaviour)

Reviewing progress is important, but self-criticism and self-shaming actively undermine behaviour change. People are more likely to persist when review is kind, realistic, and flexible.

Helpful review questions

  • What worked best this week?
  • What made the behaviour easier or harder?
  • What can I adjust to better fit my real life?
  • What effort am I proud of, even if results weren’t perfect?

Examples

  • Spending: “What situations triggered higher spending?”
  • Sleep: “What helped me wind down on nights I slept better?”
  • Exercise: “When did activity feel most appealing and achievable?”
  • Healthy eating: “What vegetables were easiest to include?”
Pound Coins

Why this matters: Self-acceptance supports motivation and resilience. Change continues when people feel safe to keep trying.

7.Use Social Support & Rewards Thoughtfully

(Behaviour Change Techniques: Social support; Self-reward)

Support from others and small rewards can strengthen motivation, especially early on.

Examples

  • Share goals with a partner or friend
  • Exercise with others or join a group
  • Celebrate milestones with non-punitive rewards
  • Use money saved to support something meaningful
2 women eating together

Why this matters: Behaviour change is easier when it feels supported and worthwhile.

Remember: Behaviour change is a cycle — and setbacks are part of success

Behaviour change is not linear. Evidence-based models of behaviour change show that change happens in cycles, moving through preparation, action, and maintenance — with setbacks occurring naturally along the way.

Setbacks are not failures. They are a normal and expected part of sustainable behaviour change. Rather than meaning you’ve “failed”, they provide valuable information about what triggers challenges, what strategies need adjusting, and how your plan can be strengthened.

The key to long-term success is how you respond and adapt. Self-criticism and shame tend to reduce motivation, while self-compassion and problem-solving help people re-engage and continue progressing through the behaviour change cycle.

When setbacks are expected and planned for, they become opportunities to learn and refine your approach. Embracing the cyclical nature of behaviour change supports habits that are more realistic, resilient, and sustainable over time.

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