How to keep a New Year's resolution: small steps, kind restarts

In short

Make it small, make it countable, plan for the wobble, and restart kindly. Most people who make resolutions keep at least some of them, according to YouGov, so you're not fighting the odds you might think.

Last checked: November 2026. Sources are listed at the end.

You're in better company than you think

You'll often read that most resolutions fail. YouGov's surveys of British adults tell a kinder story: of people who made resolutions for 2025, 38% kept all of them and 33% kept some.¹ For 2024, 33% kept all and 45% kept some.²

1. Make it small enough for a bad day

Many people find a resolution sticks better when the smallest version still counts: one page, a ten-minute walk, one spend-free day. On good days you'll do more anyway.

2. Make it something you can count

"Read more" is hard to see. "Books finished" or "days I read" is easy. Counting shows you progress you'd otherwise forget, and a running total is nice to look at in February.

3. Set a pace, not a pass mark

A yearly target (say 12 books) breaks down into a pace (about one a month). If you're a little behind, the next small step is all that matters, and you can change the target without losing what you've done.

4. Plan for the January wobble

Lots of people find the second or third week of January is when motivation dips, once the holidays end and normal life is back. Expect it. Decide now what the smallest version of your resolution is for those weeks.

5. Let missed days go

One missed day doesn't undo a habit. Plan rest days, and if you miss one, pick up the next day. If you track runs of days, use a tracker that doesn't wipe them out for a single miss.

6. Use fresh starts all year

Researchers have found people are more likely to start on goals after "fresh start" moments: a new year, a new month, a Monday, a birthday.³ If January didn't go to plan, the 1st of February is another one.

7. Do it with someone

Many people find a shared goal easier to keep: a family reading target, a friend you check in with each week. Keep it kind: cheering each other on, not comparing.

Try it with Small Counts

Small Counts is built around these ideas: small things to count, a gentle pace, runs that forgive a missed day, and fresh-start nudges. Pick up to three themes free.

Coming 1 December

Sources

Keep reading

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