New Year’s Resolutions Planner: Turn One Goal Into a Plan

How the resolution planner works

Write one resolution, then fill in as much of the plan as helps. The planner builds a one-page sheet with your first small step, what you will do each time, an if-then backup and a table of dated check-ins. Print it, or download it as text. The fields start with an example so you can see the result; replace it with your own.

• Resolution: one sentence, written so you could tell whether you did it.
• First small step: something you can do in the next seven days.
• If-then plan: what usually gets in the way, and what you will do instead.
• Check-ins: choose weekly, every two weeks or monthly, and 4, 6, 8 or 12 of them. The first check-in is one interval after your start date.

New year’s resolution ideas you can check

Vague resolutions are hard to act on and hard to review. A version you can check says what you will do, how often, and where it fits in your week. These examples show the change. They are ideas to adapt, not advice for any one person.

• Instead of “Get fit,” try “Walk for 20 minutes after lunch on weekdays.”
• Instead of “Save more money,” try “Move a set amount to savings on each payday.”
• Instead of “Read more,” try “Read ten pages before bed on most nights.”
• Instead of “Be more organized,” try “Spend 15 minutes on Sunday evening setting up the week.”
• Instead of “Learn a language,” try “Do one 15-minute lesson on each weekday morning.”
• Instead of “Spend less time on my phone,” try “Charge my phone outside the bedroom overnight.”
• Instead of “See friends more,” try “Put one friend call or coffee on the calendar every week.”
• Instead of “Eat better,” try “Cook at home three evenings a week.”
• Instead of “Be more creative,” try “Write or draw for 20 minutes twice a week.”
• Instead of “Declutter,” try “Clear one drawer, shelf or box each weekend.”

Plan for the day it gets hard

Most resolutions fail on an ordinary busy day, not a dramatic one. Write the obstacle you expect and what you will do when it shows up. Research on implementation intentions, which are specific if-then plans, found that people who form them are more likely to act on their goals than people who only intend to (Gollwitzer, 1999). The planner has a place for one such plan; keep it short and specific.

• If it rains, then I will do the indoor version.
• If I miss a day, then I will do the next planned day and not double up.
• If I feel too tired, then I will do five minutes and stop.

Check-ins that keep a plan alive

A check-in is a few minutes with the sheet. Ask three questions and write one line for each: did I do it, what got in the way, and what will I change? Keep what worked, shrink what did not, and change one thing.

A missed week is information about the plan, not a verdict on you. If you miss three check-ins in a row, make the step smaller or change the day it happens, rather than starting over.

How many resolutions to plan

One to three is enough for most people. Make a separate plan for each and stagger the start dates if a second one would crowd the first. If you want to see all areas of life on one page first, the six-area vision board maker on this site is a good starting point.