Resolve or Regret: Rethinking Your New Year Resolutions

Time, and time again, we decide this time we’re gonna beat time, and accomplish all of our New Year resolutions.

But in reality, we’re only setting ourselves up for failure—once more.

As we inch closer to each new year, we welcome it with hopefulness. Yet at the same time, our heart quickens, even tightens. We can’t help it.

Each year is not only the start of a new year—12 new months—to fulfill dreams even though we say goodbye to the old, and welcome new and endless possibilities.

But—each year is also indicative of what we have not accomplished in the past 12 months.

Did we reach our New Year resolutions, or did we saddle ourselves with more regret? And frustrations?

And this begs the question: Why do we make resolutions each year?

Where did this tradition even begin? According to ChatGPT, making resolutions dates back, way back, and that surprised me:

The practice of making pledges at the New Year dates back some 4,000 years to ancient Babylonians. During their 12-day festival Akitu, they made promises to gods to return debts and borrowed items, so the gods would look favorably on them in the coming year. The Romans later adopted a similar tradition. When Julius Caesar instituted January 1 as the start of the new year (in 46 B.C.), the Romans made promises to Janus, the two-faced god of beg

innings and endings (one face looks backward, one forward). In medieval Europe, Christians adapted the practice: making resolutions or vows for self-improvement or repentance at the turn of the year.

In 1671, the Scottish writer Anne Halkett recorded a set of “Resolutions” in her diary, using biblical pledges. The phrase “New Year resolution” appears in a Boston newspaper in 1813, showing the term was already in common usage by the early 19th century. Over the 20th and 21st centuries, resolutions increasingly shifted from religious or moral vows toward goals of self-improvement, health, career, finance, and personal development. (Among ChatGPT’s cited sources for this information are History.com, National Geographic, Wikipedia, Almanac, Merriam-Webster, becauseisaidiwould.org, and Customs House Museum & Cultural Center. )

As 2026 beckons, you can’t help but think about playing hooky this time around when it comes to resolutions. That way we’d have no regrets when the year ends, and the Times Square ball drops once more.

But—are resolutions necessary? Do they serve any valid purpose? Or can we resolve not to do them? Can we escape their blistering condemnation—and perhaps, even mockery?

Yet—there are pros and cons to making resolutions, and here they are, complements of AI:

Pros (Benefits)

• Fresh start/psychological reset – The new year offers a symbolic “clean slate” which psychologically motivates resetting habits and goals.
• Goal clarity/direction – Making a resolution forces you to articulate what you want to change or achieve, which is the first step toward action.
• Motivation/accountability – Publicly stating a resolution or writing it down helps with commitment and accountability.
• Incremental improvement – Even if you don’t fully achieve your resolution, partial progress is still positive.
• Self-awareness/reflection – The act of resolution-making prompts introspection, evaluation of one’s life, priorities, and values.
• Momentum/habit formation – If sustained, new behaviors can become long-term habits.
• Hope—even more than discipline – Often the spark that leads to lasting transformation.

 

Cons (Pitfalls/Risks)

• Over-commitment/too much too soon – Many resolutions are overly ambitious, leading to burnout or discouragement.
• All-or-nothing mindset – When people slip once, they abandon the entire goal, rather than adjusting.
• Lack of plan/weak structure – Without concrete steps, lofty resolutions tend to stay abstract and fail to translate into daily actions.
• Motivation fade/novelty effect – The excitement of a new year wanes; sustained effort is hard once the initial surge wears off.
• External pressure/comparison – People sometimes feel obligated to make resolutions (social pressure), rather than from intrinsic desire.
• Neglecting context/constraints – Life events, unforeseen obstacles, resource constraints, or lack of support can derail efforts.
• Guilt and discouragement – Failure to keep a resolution can lead to self-blame, shame, or discouragement, which may discourage future goal-setting.

 
And in case we don’t remember what New Year resolutions we’re supposed to pursue, we’re inundated with specials on what latest and upgraded products to get.

According to AI, here are the top 10 New Year resolutions, based on surveys, blogs and goal-setting resources:

Top 10 Resolutions Made (Commonly Chosen Goals)

• Improve fitness/exercise more
• Lose weight/get in shape
• Eat healthier/improve diet
• Save more money/spend less / reduce debt
• Improve mental health/self-care/reduce stress
• Get organized/declutter
• Learn a new skill/hobby/personal development
• Read more/consume less screen time
• Quit a bad habit (e.g. smoking, drinking, social media)
• Travel more/broaden experiences

 
And also according to ChatGPT, here are the top 10 resolutions that we mostly break, which mostly are repeats from the previous list:

Top 10 Resolutions Broken (Most Common Failures/Dropouts)

• Lose weight/maintain weight loss
• Exercise/maintain fitness routine
• Eat healthier/stick to dietary changes
• Save money/reduce debt
• Quit bad habits (smoking, etc.)
• Read regularly/more books
• Learn a new skill/foreign language
• Get organized/declutter
• Reduce stress/better mental health routines
• Travel goals (due to cost/time)

 
ChatGPT also notes, according to research, only about 25 % of people remain committed to their resolutions after 30 days, and only 10 % actually meet their goals. (Source cited: CBS News) And even more alarming, its cites a 2024 Forbes as calling “Quitter’s Day” (second Friday of January) a milestone where many have already dropped out.

Did you even know “Quitter’s Day” existed? I surely didn’t.

Now that we’ve dwelled, perhaps too long, on the negativity of New Year resolutions, I wrote this blog to provide strategies to help us achieve our New Year resolutions in 2026. And once again, I put my questions to AI, and learned first of all, we’re focusing on the wrong resolutions. Since we’ve been failing bigtime, I guess that shouldn’t surprise us.

According to ChatGPT, these are the one top 10 resolutions that we should focus on instead, and I have to agree:

Resolutions You Should Make (High-Leverage, Meaningful Choices)

• Improve sleep quality (e.g. consistent bedtime, no screens before bed)
• Daily micro-reflection/gratitude journaling
• Learn one meaningful new skill/deepen a craft
• Strengthen relationships (e.g. weekly calls, quality time)
• Financial health baseline (emergency fund, budgeting)
• Consistent movement/mobility (vs just “exercise more”)
• Digital minimalism/reduce passive screen time
• Volunteer/serve or contribute
• Mindfulness/mental resilience practices
• Reading or curiosity habit (even 10 minutes/day)

 
And now for the best part: the strategies, according to ChatGPT, to ensure your New Year resolutions—based in behavior science, habit formation, and goal psychology— are achieved and you increase the odds of success:

Strategies for Making & Keeping Resolutions

1. Use SMART (or equivalent) goals – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound.
2. Start small/micro-habits – Begin with very small, easy actions (e.g. 5 minutes walking) so you can reliably do them.
3. Focus on systems, not just goals – Develop a process (daily routines, habits) rather than fixating only on the end target.
4. Plan for obstacles/fallback strategies – Anticipate what might interfere (travel, holidays, busy periods) and have contingency plans.
5. Use “temptation bundling” or fun rewards – Pair a goal you need to do with something you enjoy, or reward progress.
6. Track progress/measure frequently – Use habit trackers, journals, checklists, apps to monitor incremental progress.
7. Accountability and social support – Share goals with friends, join groups, find an accountability partner, or use public commitment.
8. Review and adjust regularly – Quarterly or monthly check-ins to assess progress, tweak strategies, drop or refine goals.
9. Celebrate small wins – Recognize and reward milestones to maintain motivation.
10. Leverage identity change – Instead of “I want to lose weight,” adopt “I am a person who moves regularly.” Identity-based goals are more durable.
11. If a slip occurs, recover fast – Don’t treat one lapse as a reason to abandon; use it as feedback and resume quickly.
12. Visual cues and environment design – Make your environment support the goal (e.g. hide junk food, put workout clothes ready, remove distractions).
13. Use implementation intentions – (“If X happens, I will do Y”) e.g. “If it’s Monday or Thursday at 6 pm, I go for a run.”
14. Limit the number of resolutions – Focus on 1–3 priority changes rather than a long laundry list.

 
If you want to choose some of the top 10 common resolutions, go ahead and do so. But try to integrate at least a couple of the meaningful ones also in your listing.

More invaluable resources for your 2026 journey are The Essentialism Planner: A 90-Day Guide to Accomplishing More by Doing Less and the Rocketbook Fusion Smart Notebook.

Here’s to 2026 and your new New Year resolutions: Hear! Hear!

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I’m Ruth Anita Foote, an award-winning journalist, historian, author, and online entrepreneur—passionate about helping you enhance your business, career, and lifestyle. Whether you need writing, editing, research, or online business development, I’m here to support your growth. My goal is to empower you to elevate your success and make a lasting impact in your field. You can connect to all my social media platforms through Linktr.ee