Let’s be honest about something for a minute: New Year’s resolutions are the worst. They create stress and, more often than not, just make you feel like a failure. When was the last time you made a January 1st promise that you actually stuck to? It’s a pretty rare occurrence, right?

And you’re not alone. It’s estimated that about 80% of all New Year's resolutions fail, no matter how inspired we might be when we make them. We start the year with high spirits and high ambitions, but by March we’ve fallen off track and things just don’t happen the way we planned.

Why do New Year’s Resolutions statistically fail?

It’s easy to look at this statistic and feel disheartened. It’s even easier to think, “Well that’s it. I just won’t try to do anything at all”. But let’s take a minute and reflect on why such a high proportion of N.Y. resolutions end in disappointment.

They’re framed negatively

Many resolutions focus on fixing something that’s “wrong”. For example:

Lose weight
Quit smoking
Stop checking your work email after 7pm.

This kind of language encourages your resolutions to backfire, because you’re visualizing the exact thing you’re trying to avoid.

They’re too vague

The most popular resolutions are pretty vague and all-encompassing, too — ‘save money’, or ‘exercise more’. But when you pinpoint exactly what you’re aiming for — ‘save $250 a month’, ‘exercise for 30 minutes every day’ — it’s much easier to stay motivated and reach your goals.

There’s no accountability

If you write in your journal that you plan to lose weight this year, that’s great. But this is extremely low-stakes. There’s no real fallout if you fail. As humans we need an incentive (or punishment) to keep going when the going gets tough.

They’re too ambitious

Realism is the secret for goal-setting success. We’ve all been swept up in the excitement and optimism of New Year’s once or twice, setting a whole bunch of goals that we swear we’ll stick to this time. But most resolutions are too ambitious. And when you’re being unrealistic, there’s only one way that resolution will go — out the window.

How to set goals in 2021

I think we’re all in the same boat when it comes to wanting 2021 to be waaaay better than 2020. And fair enough! Making commitments and goals is an excellent way to keep yourself on track to absolutely thrive all year, so long as you make them in a smart way.

Hone in on one specific area

Instead of trying to improve every area of your life, hone in on the one thing you really want to change. It can get overwhelming to be working on five different resolutions at once, so get rid of the clutter and be single-minded in your goal.

Make it specific

As we discovered above, vagueness is the enemy to happy, healthy change. Make your ambitions super specific, so it’s something you can actually work toward.

For example, instead of ‘run more’, you could say ‘compete in a 5K in the next 3 months’. Instead of ‘sort out my finances’, it could be ‘consult an accountant and make a budget for each quarter.

Then make your goals measurable

It’s all well and good to smash your resolutions, but how will you know when you’ve got there?

If you have a small business and you want to gain more clients, your resolution might be ‘actively recruit more clients’, but:

How many do you want? One? One hundred?
What kind of clients do you want?
How much do you need them to spend with you?

A great example of a measurable resolution would be: ‘Recruit ten more clients who align with my brand philosophy, who pay $X rate.’

Set a goal for each month

Break your resolution down into smaller, achievable steps, and then set a goal for each month that’ll help you work toward it. Having a shorter deadline will get your butt in gear, and having the structure of tasks to achieve each month can help keep you on track.

Write a positive bucket list

At the beginning of the year, create a positive bucket list of things you want to do or get done. The things can range from big to small, and be both personal and professional — though they have to be achievable, remember!

It should be a little more exciting than a to-do list (don’t include ‘switch energy providers’, for example). But make sure to think realistically, committing to what you can actually achieve in 2021.

Your lifetime bucket list might include ‘visit 50 countries’ but it’s not likely you’ll be able to do that all in a year. So how many could you do in just 12 months? This is a fun way to approach resolutions, and ticking things off the list as you go will be hugely rewarding and motivational.

Find an accountability buddy

We don’t always share our resolutions — for fear that we’ll fail! But this is the exact reason that we should be talking about them.

Find a friend or a coworker who shares your mindset and interests, and see if you can become each others’ accountability partners. Maybe you can have monthly check-ins to see if you’re on track, and can encourage each other to keep at it. It’d be even better if you share some of the same goals — if you both want to upskill in a certain area, you could take the same online course together.

Think outside the box

Many people set the same goals each year, which is fine. But if you’ve been trying to ‘lose weight’ and ‘save money’ every January for two decades, things can get a bit boring. Spice up your resolutions, and have a real think about the things in your life or your business that need a makeover.

If you’re creating business resolutions this year, we’ve got your back!

Dedicated to doing more with your business in 2021? Street Designed can help.

We’ll reinvigorate your brand with a user-friendly and eye-catching website and/or designed branding. Plus we’ve got heaps of tips for working smart and helping your small business thrive, over on our blog. Come say hello!

New Year's resolutions suck! Here's what to do instead...