Top 5 tips for 2026: Make a New Year's resoloution that sticks!
rachel Coffey
Be clear on outcome
If you want to ‘get fitter’ define what that is - running 5k without getting out of breath? Lowering your blood pressure to below a specific number? Having a 20 minute morning yoga routine that you do at least 5 days out of 7? The more specific and clear you are with your goals, the easier it will be for your mind to buy into it
Timeline
Give yourself a target date to reach your goal or a length of time that maintaining it to this point will indicate success. If you are thinking about weight loss for example, pinpoint a particular date that you want to reach your target by. If it is more about routine and a healthier mindset, instead your target might be to have continually carried out your weekly routine for a period of six consecutive weeks
Milestones
Timeline is about an overall framework, milestones are wins along the way. Break down the length of your timeline into chunks. Make them big enough chunks so that they feel valuable, meaning you will have a sense of achievement when you reach them. Too ambitious though and it will defeat the object - these need to be achievable key markers along the way, that if you hit them it means you will be heading in the right direction. Congratulate yourself on reaching a marke and that same day set yourself the challenge of meeting the next
Monitor habitually
The path of creating change doesn’t always follow the exact route we had in our mind. You need to write down a set of criteria to monitor. If your aim is to have more energy then your markers might be quality of sleep, length of sleep, diet that day, sense of achievement, minutes and type of exercise, anxiety score, score on how you dealt with stressors. For each one you need to have an ideal target. Chart these every day. This isn’t about judgement, this is about understanding what works, what doesn’t, the ebbs and flows of progress.It also helps to keep you consistent and focussed.
Give this a purpose
Most important of all, when you start out, before you even begin ensure your desired outcome has a defined purpose - what will it mean? What will you do or be able to do? How is that going to make a difference? If it is a tangible outcome, such as being able to run a certain race or learning a language plan to put this into action. At a certain point in your timeline, make the arrangements to practically put your new abilities into action. Register for that race, book a trip to a country that speaks the language. This will give you a need to succeed and spur you on to success!
Remember this is a journey, not a punishment. Ditch the negative self talk and get excited about where this can lead you. This is only the beginning, equip yourself well, smell the success and you can create the change you need. If you want support along the way - or maybe some help identifying what changes you might want to make, coaching can really help you gain clarity and keep going. You need to do this for yourself, but you don’t have to go through it on your own!
New year resoloutions 2026