How do I choose a good New Year's resolution?

By No Rush · Updated October 23, 2026

The short answer

Choose something you will start doing, small enough for next week, about something that matters to you. In a Swedish study of 1,066 people, resolutions to do something went better over a year than resolutions to stop or avoid something. Then give it a day and a time, so you know what to do on the first Monday.

What makes a good New Year's resolution?

It describes something you will start doing, it is small enough for next week, and it comes from something you care about. Martin Oscarsson and colleagues followed 1,066 people in Sweden for a year. Those whose resolution was about doing something were more often successful than those whose resolution was about stopping or avoiding something.

So instead of stop scrolling in bed, try read two pages before I sleep. Instead of stop wasting my weekends, try on Saturday morning I walk to the market. Success in the study was what people reported about themselves a year later, and the study cannot show that the wording alone made the difference.

What are some good New Year's resolution ideas?

The best ideas usually come from your own past year, more than from a list. Think of what you kept wishing you had time for, or a moment last year that gave you energy. Turn that into one action you can do this month, like calling one friend every Sunday, or signing up for one course before February.

Popular lists are full of big goals like getting fit or saving money. Those are hard to start on a weekday, because they don't say what to do. You can keep the big goal and put one concrete action next to it.

How specific should a resolution be?

Specific enough that you know when and where you will do it. A review by Paschal Sheeran and colleagues of 642 tests found that a plan with a moment, a place and what you will do if something gets in the way helps people do what they intended. The effect is smaller than often claimed, but it is there.

Does more advice help?

In the Swedish study, one group got a little information about setting goals, and another got more information and exercises. The group with a little did best, better than the group with more and better than a comparison group. A short plan you read once may help more than a full workbook.

When the new year feels heavy

Choosing a resolution assumes there is some room in your life for one. If the past year was hard, start with something smaller, and know that any ordinary week can be a start too.

If it has felt heavy for a long time, or nothing seems to matter anymore, talk to your doctor or someone you trust. The helplines are at the bottom of this page.

In the No Rush app

The app gives you one step at a time. Every step you plan comes with the question When, and where?, with an example like after dinner, at home. That way a resolution turns into something you do this week.

No Rush app

An iPhone app for people who feel stuck. It sets out one small next step at a time and tells you why that one. It is not therapy.

Sign up free Take the test For iPhone. Coming soon to the App Store. The first seven days are free in the app. After that, you choose whether to subscribe. Sign up now and the app stays free for you, for life.

Sources

Oscarsson, Carlbring, Andersson & Rozental (2020). A large-scale experiment on New Year’s resolutions: Approach-oriented goals are more successful than avoidance-oriented goals. PLOS ONE, 15(12), e0234097. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234097
Sheeran, Listrom & Gollwitzer (2025). The when and how of planning: Meta-analysis of the scope and components of implementation intentions in 642 tests. European Review of Social Psychology, 36(1), 162-194. doi.org/10.1080/10463283.2024.2334563