We are all familiar with the concept of a new year’s resolution; most of us find them far easier to make than to keep.

So how to find that resolve for 2025? An evidence-based approach is to make your resolutions SMART…

Ensure your goals are Specific. Rather than, “get more active” instead try, “walk for 30 minutes every day”. Specific goals present a clear focus that is proven to enhance motivation. 

By being specific, goals are then Measurable. This provides evidence and powerful positive reinforcement when the goal has been achieved. Documenting that progress in a manner that is visible to us, and to others, is an added and potent motivator. 

The risk with specific measurable goals, however, is that it is all too clear when they have not been achieved. A helpful approach here is to focus on mastery rather than performance. For example, “run for 30 minutes three times a week” allows challenges such as a busy work-schedule to be overcome with an engaged problem-solving approach, whereas “lose 20lbs” sets you up for failure despite having succesfully lost 19. 

Similarly, resolutions need to be Attainable. A good strategy is to break down larger goals into smaller, realistic steps. Tick them off as you go and benefit from the boost that achievements, even small, can give. 

Successful resolutions are invariably ones that are Relevant. They need to matter to you and be congruent with your life and your values. If your main focus is to improve your health, then “getting to bed by 10pm” would be relevant; “achieving that promotion” wouldn’t be. If the goal can involve positive action rather than avoidance then all the better. Take up a new expensive hobby and you’ll no longer be able to afford gin.

Finally, make your resolutions Time-bound. Otherwise, you might just defer them until 2026!

Dr Chris Humphrey

The Hadleigh Practice