Why We Abandon New Year’s Resolutions (And How to Make Them Stick)

The new year arrives, spirits are high, ambitions are soaring, and suddenly we’re convinced that this is going to be our year. We’re going to exercise consistently, finally organize the house, read more books, save money, start that passion project, and somehow become the most productive version of ourselves by February.

Sound familiar?

There’s something exciting about a fresh start. A new year feels like a clean slate—a chance to reflect on where we’ve been and decide where we’d like to go. But while setting goals can be motivating, sticking to them is often a little trickier.

Sometimes we aim too high, try to change too many things at once, or underestimate how much time and effort a new habit requires. Other times, life simply gets in the way.

The good news? You don’t have to abandon your resolutions just because your initial motivation starts to fade.

I recently came across a goal-setting strategy that can help turn big ambitions into actionable plans: the WOOP method. It’s a simple framework for thinking through what you want, why you want it, what might get in your way, and how you’ll respond when it does.

And yes, we’re going to talk about the name. Because WOOP? I admit, it made me smile, too.

The WOOP Method: A Better Way to Approach Your Goals

WOOP stands for Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, and Plan. It encourages you to think about both the future you want and the practical challenges that could prevent you from getting there.

Instead of relying on motivation alone, you create a plan for handling the moments when following through becomes difficult.

Here’s how it works.

WISH: Decide What You Want to Achieve

First, identify a goal that genuinely matters to you.

It could be personal, professional, academic, financial, or related to your health and well-being. Maybe you want to launch a creative project, develop a consistent exercise routine, save for a trip, or make more time for yourself.

Whatever your wish, try to make it specific enough that you can recognize when you’re making progress. Rather than saying, “I want to be more productive,” you might say, “I want to spend three focused sessions each week working on my blog.”

See the difference?

One is a general intention. The other gives you something concrete to work toward.

Write your wish down, add it to your planner, or put it somewhere you’ll see it regularly. The goal is to give your ambition a little more shape.

OUTCOME: Picture the Best Possible Result

Now, think about what achieving your goal would mean to you.

How would it make you feel? What might improve in your everyday life? Why is this goal important enough for you to pursue?

If your wish is to spend more time reading, perhaps the outcome is having a relaxing evening routine and making space for something you enjoy. If your goal is to save money, maybe it’s feeling more confident about your finances or having a little extra freedom when an opportunity comes along.

Take a moment to imagine that outcome and write down what matters most to you about it.

This step is about remembering your why. When your initial excitement fades, understanding why you started can help you reconnect with your goal.

OBSTACLE: Be Honest About What Might Get in Your Way

Here’s where we bring the daydreaming back down to earth. What could prevent you from achieving your goal?

Maybe you struggle with procrastination. Perhaps your schedule is unpredictable, you take on too many commitments, or you tend to lose motivation when you don’t see immediate results.

Be honest with yourself.

The point isn’t to criticize your habits or make a list of everything you think is wrong with you. It’s to identify the challenges you can realistically prepare for.

For example, if you want to read more but usually spend your evenings scrolling on your phone, that habit might be one obstacle.

If you want to exercise regularly but struggle to find time for the gym, your schedule may be the issue—not a lack of discipline. Understanding the obstacle helps you figure out what needs to change.

PLAN: Decide What You’ll Do When Challenges Arise

Now for the part that turns your wish into something actionable. Once you’ve identified a likely obstacle, create a simple plan for responding to it.

Using the reading example, you might decide to leave your phone in another room and read for 15 minutes before bed.

If time is your biggest obstacle to exercise, you could schedule shorter workouts at home for days when getting to the gym isn’t realistic.

A helpful approach is to use an if-then plan:

• If I feel tempted to scroll through my phone at bedtime, then I’ll put it aside and read a few pages instead.
• If I can’t fit in my usual workout, then I’ll take a short walk or try a quick home workout.
• If I feel overwhelmed by a big project, then I’ll choose one small task and work on it for 15 minutes.

The idea is to think ahead rather than having to figure everything out in the moment. You won’t be able to anticipate every obstacle, of course. But having a plan can make it easier to respond when familiar challenges arise.

5 More Ways to Make Your Resolutions Stick

Now that you’ve got the WOOP method down, let’s look at a few additional ways to make your goals more manageable.

1. Get Specific

“I want to be healthier” is a perfectly reasonable intention, but it can be difficult to know what to do with it.

What does being healthier actually mean to you? Perhaps you want to take more walks, cook at home more often, get more consistent sleep, or find an exercise routine you enjoy. The more clearly you define your goal, the easier it becomes to identify the steps needed to work toward it.

Try asking yourself: What would making progress on this goal look like in my everyday life?

You don’t need to have every detail figured out. You just need a clear enough starting point to take action.

2. Set Realistic Goals

One of the easiest ways to overwhelm yourself is to expect a complete life transformation overnight.

Let’s say your goal is to write more for your blog. Deciding to publish ten posts in a week might sound ambitious, but if you’re juggling work, family, and other commitments, that target could quickly become stressful. Instead, consider what you can realistically manage with the time and resources you have.

Maybe you start with one post a week, establish a writing schedule, and gradually increase your output as you become more comfortable.

A realistic goal isn’t an unambitious goal. It’s one that gives you a reasonable opportunity to make progress without setting yourself up for unnecessary frustration. And remember, you can always adjust your plan as your circumstances change.

3. Take Baby Steps

Big goals can feel exciting at first, but they can also become intimidating when you look at everything required to achieve them. That’s why breaking them into smaller steps can help.

Want to run a race? Start by building a routine that matches your current fitness level.

Want to write a book? Begin by outlining a chapter or setting aside a little time to write each week.

Want to get your finances organized? Start by reviewing your monthly expenses rather than trying to overhaul your entire budget in one afternoon.

Small actions make a larger goal feel more approachable. They also give you opportunities to recognize progress along the way.

You don’t have to accomplish everything today. You just need to know what your next step is.

4. Learn From Previous Attempts

Have you ever made the same resolution year after year, only to find yourself back at square one? I’ve been there. And while it’s tempting to chalk it up to a lack of willpower, it can be more useful to take a closer look at what happened.

Ask yourself:

• What worked well when I tried this before?
• Where did I struggle?
• Was my goal realistic for my schedule and circumstances?
• Did I have a plan for handling setbacks?
• Is this still something I genuinely want?

Maybe you need a different strategy. Perhaps your priorities have changed. Or maybe the goal itself still matters, but the approach you’ve been using doesn’t work for you. Whatever the answer, your previous attempts can provide useful information.

You don’t have to repeat the same process just because you’ve repeated the same resolution. Take what you’ve learned and use it to make your next attempt more manageable.

5. Enlist Support

You don’t have to announce your goals to the entire internet (unless, of course, that’s your thing). But sharing them with a trusted friend, family member, or accountability partner can help you feel supported as you work toward them.

You might check in with each other weekly, celebrate milestones, or simply talk through the challenges you’re experiencing.

You could also join a group of people working toward similar goals. Whether it’s a book club, a fitness class, a professional community, or a creative group, having people around you who understand what you’re working toward can be encouraging.

And don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Support doesn’t mean someone has to monitor your every move or hold you accountable for every little thing. Sometimes, it’s simply having someone who listens, offers encouragement, or reminds you why you started.

Cut Yourself Some Slack

Let’s get one thing straight: perfection is not a requirement for progress.

You’re going to have days when you don’t feel motivated. Your schedule might change. You may miss a workout, skip a planned writing session, or spend an evening doing absolutely nothing you intended to do.

It happens. One missed day doesn’t erase your progress, and a setback doesn’t mean you’ve failed.

Instead of beating yourself up, take a moment to consider what happened and what you might do differently next time.

Maybe your original plan was too ambitious. Perhaps you need more flexibility, a better reminder system, or a smaller starting point. And sometimes, you simply needed a break.

Give yourself room to learn, adjust, and begin again. You can take your goals seriously without being unkind to yourself in the process.

But most importantly, don’t let one missed day turn into a reason to abandon the entire goal.

You can always return to it.

What’s one of your resolutions for 2020?