{"id":120,"date":"2026-01-12T15:55:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T15:55:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thegrowthportfolio.nl\/?p=120"},"modified":"2026-01-16T14:50:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T14:50:21","slug":"how-to-set-effective-new-years-resolutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thegrowthportfolio.nl\/?p=120","title":{"rendered":"How to set effective New Years resolutions"},"content":{"rendered":"

How to set effective New Years resolutions<\/h3>\n\n\n

Over the last few years,\u2018New Years Resolutions\u2019<\/em> have seemed to decrease in popularity; At least: In the social media self-development bubble in which I often find myself. Advocates for periods such as the \u2018Winter Arc\u2019 <\/em>point to the ineffectiveness of postponing reaching your goals to an arbitrary date. And they\u2019re not totally wrong: Only about 1\/100<\/a> of people stick to their goals for the entire year. To ensure you end up in that magic 1%, I\u2019d like to share some of the knowledge I\u2019ve gained over the past 5 years that I\u2019ve been setting goals (and succeeding!), as well as some of the new things I\u2019ll be trying this time around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tried and Tested<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

These are the habits that have allowed me to hit x+ percent of the goals I\u2019ve set for myself in the past. Take what resonates, and leave what doesn\u2019t! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Share sooner than feels comfortable<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sharing your goals can seem very scary at first, and even deter people from actually setting goals: Because, what if you change your mind? This was a thought I had myself. Some ideas to challenge this belief: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Change is good! Acknowledge that just deciding on something and fixing it later if it doesn\u2019t work out, generally takes less time than making the \u2018perfect<\/em>\u2019 decisions. Worst case scenario: you set a goal, decide it\u2019s not for you (this is important knowledge!), and move on. Best case scenario: you continue with the goal and will have saved so much time. I am not saying to set goals you made up on a whim; I am encouraging you to spend less time pondering, and more time trying. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You should not shy away from sharing goals of new experiences if you\u2019re unsure whether you\u2019ll like them! Perhaps you\u2019ll even find likeminded people who can help you get into your aspirations. Fear of being seen trying is real, but don\u2019t let it keep you away from growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Set yourself up for experimentation<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continuing the previous: Challenge yourself to set experimental goals, and allow yourself to discard them if they do not serve you. This does not <\/em>equate to not following through on your promises, but it also does not mean you shouldn\u2019t take these goals seriously. It simply means you should get clear beforehand on when you will<\/em>, and when you won’t <\/em>stick to them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, when setting a goal regarding something you\u2019ve never even tried, either: challenge yourself to try it for a limited, doable, amount of time and evaluating after (e.g. exercising 2x a week for a month) \u00f3r challenging yourself to try a few different things in the same niche and comparing them \u2014 and setting a more definite goal afterwards (e.g. trying 5 different workout classes). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Be effectively vague<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re probably sick of being told to set SMART goals, at least I am (although they unfortunately do work). I like to take a slightly different approach: As I don\u2019t like to pin myself down on goals in unpredictable areas of life, I decide on which goals to be extremely specific (i.e. SMART), and on which to be more effectively vague<\/em>. To give an example: Last year one of my goals was to \u2018work on my future\u2019 <\/em>(I provided a few different options). This is about as vague as you can get, but the options gave me a sense of direction, whilst the goal itself gave me more lenience to play into opportunities coming. This was more of a \u2018theme\u2019-goal than one you can tick off \u2013 something I\u2019ll come back to later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Keep  a combination of \u2018habit-\u2019 and \u2018achievement-based\u2019 goals<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re already doing this, which you probably are, keep going! This combination \u2013 along with the previously mentioned experimental goals \u2013 allows for tickable goals and <\/em>daily improvements. Of course, achievement-based goals also require daily\/weekly\/montly work. To ensure you stick to reaching these, I\u2019ve made a template to fill in, so the threshold for actually doing this is as low as possible. This leads me into the next tip:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Plan, plan, plan<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Motivation subsides, a thought out (back-up) plan does not. Don\u2019t try to rely on motivation to reach your goals. Boredom will hit and catch up to you if you haven\u2019t solidified the habits of working on your goals. Want to create a new habit? Habit stack, create a routine or time block it. Want to break a habit? Create a new (better) routine that replaces it. Check out the template at the end of this blog to help you incorporate this!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want to know more about \u2018Habit Stacking\u2019? Check out James Clear\u2019s \u2018Atomic Habits<\/a>\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Be realistically overachieving <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Set goals that you think you just may or may not reach. This one is very obvious, so I won\u2019t spend too much time on it. You are only as capable as you believe yourself to be. Combine these sorts of goals with current habits you want to continue in the new year. An important side note for this tip: Speaking for myself, I am always looking to overshoot my goals. Because of this, setting relatively realistic goals is effective. However, if you\u2019re the type of person to be satisfied with simply reaching the level you\u2019ve set for yourself, I would recommend shooting higher with the goals you set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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New and Improved<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Apart from solely improving myself by setting new goals each year, I also try to improve the way I go about this process. Below you\u2019ll find some of the things I\u2019ll be experimenting with in planning for 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Setting 6 months goals<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, I\u2019ve decided to set 30 weeks, instead of 1 year goals. Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(1) I\u2019m in a phase of life that\u2019s changing increasingly fast. Don\u2019t get me wrong, routine is incredibly important \u2014 especially with the lifestyle I\u2019ve had for the last 6 months \u2014 but when I set goals I want them to enable me to grow, not keep me tied to a version of myself I\u2019m not anymore. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And (2): It enables me to prioritize<\/em>. In life, everything is a tradeoff: You\u2019ll always sacrifice something you have right now (e.g. scrolling on social media) for something you\u2019d rather have. Choosing a shorter time span clearly shows what is, but most importantly what ISN\u2019T possible just yet (remember: you can have everything you want, just not all at once).<\/em> Some goals I\u2019ll be putting on hold in (the first half of) 2026 include: Playing piano, learning chess and travelling. This leads me into the next point:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2018Anti-goal-setting\u2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like I stated earlier: everything you want is tied to something else you\u2019re willing to give up. This sounds very depressing, and it is in a way, but so is staying the same year after year. Ask yourself this question: What can I give up to make time for this goal?<\/em> This does not have to be some big activity. Even watching Youtube whilst you eat can be swapped for a more consciously chosen habit. In 2026 I want to incorporate daily journaling. However, this is something I have struggled with doing consistently in the past. To set myself up for success this year, I\u2019ve decided to swap a current habit (doing a sudoku whilst eating my breakfast) with journalling. This way, incorporating new habits becomes a way of curating <\/em>your life, instead of endlessly adding more <\/em>to it. A nice bonus of this approach is that it allows you to plan curbing your bad habits simultaneously, and gives you a tangible reason as to why you want to quit these to hold on to when motivation subsides.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Choosing a theme<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve seen this making the rounds on social media, and it has made me curious enough to want to try. The idea is that you pick a word or sentence that embodies your focus in the year ahead. Usually, you\u2019ll give your theme a central place in your environment. This can be: on your lock screen, in a central place of the house, or in the middle of your vision board (see the \u2018Visualize!\u2019 <\/em>section). Supposedly, It\u2019ll help you attentive to the direction you\u2019re working in throughout the year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Give yourself a \u2018why\u2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sustainable goals are made up of two components: something that excites or interests you, and something to hold on to when the novelty wears off. Prepare for the excuses you\u2019ll inevitably come up with somewhere along the way by making a list of reasons as to why <\/em>this goal is worth pursuing. This is something I haven\u2019t done before. I\u2019m curious to find out how big of a difference this will make in my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Habit tracking<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habit tracking involves making a standardized list of daily habits, in a calendar format. You can track your desired habits on a physical planner, or in an app, for example: \u2018Habit Tracker\u2019 <\/em>(https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/nl\/app\/habit-tracker\/id1438388363). I\u2019m going to experiment with using a physical habit tracker, and keeping it in a public space to keep me accountable. Interested in habit tracking? Stay posted for a future blog that will dive into this subject a lot more, including the template I\u2019ll be using. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Visualize<\/em><\/strong>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thought up all your goals for the year? Now it\u2019s time to attach a concrete vision. For this step, you definitely don\u2019t have to go all out and create multiple mood boards (although I certainly will). Visualizing will not only (hopefully) get you excited for the year ahead, but most importantly it will help you get clear on what these goals represent. As covered earlier. \u2018eating healthier\u2019 is vague and unachievable, attaching a picture of unprocessed swaps for snacks helps planning out the process of achieving said goal. If you\u2019re not the creative type: some alternatives for the arts-and-crafts approach:<\/p>\n\n\n\n