“New year! New me!” A recurring theme in magazines, television shows, self-help books, holiday parties and cultural traditions that span the globe. The transition to a new calendar year often involves time for reflection and consideration for what lies ahead.

Goals include a future of prosperity, discipline, health and connection. As the year progresses, life happens: work, inflation, kids, appointments, bills, pets, illnesses, responsibilities. Everything else needs direct attention and gradually, those resolutions feel less attainable. According to a 2023 Forbes survey, most New Year’s resolutions fail in under four months. Is it even possible to create a resolution that can last through the year?

In the world of medicine, providers aid patients in goal-setting throughout their lives using evidence-based approaches. Prior to setting goals, one important part of the planning process includes evaluating why failure happened in the past.

Applying this same approach to New Year’s resolutions improves the likelihood of not repeating failures. Common mistakes in achieving goals include an all-or-nothing mindset, poor planning and lack of support.

Example: John sets a goal to quit smoking. He smokes his last cigarette and makes it through the first two weeks feeling strong, though irritable and having intense cravings. While out with friends one night, in a moment of weakness, he takes a drag of a cigarette. The following day, he loses all resolve and buys a pack of cigarettes.

John’s lack of planning for handling his cravings and withdrawal, his lack of support from friends or programs that support quitting (1-800-QUIT-NOW) and his lack of grace for missteps create a perfect storm for a failed resolution.

Several approaches to goal-setting exist. Ryan Bailey writes in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine that goals with an approach mindset over an avoidant mindset result in “greater positive emotions, thoughts, and self-evaluations and greater psychological well-being.”

For John, a plan to address his smoking trigger with an approach mindset may read, “I’m going to do new activities with friends where smoking isn’t involved, like going to the movies or volunteering at the animal shelter,” compared against an avoidant mindset goal of, “I’m going to avoid being around friends altogether so that I’m not triggered to smoke.”

Lifestyle medical guidelines recommend setting SMART goals: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. John’s goal of quitting smoking applied to this model requires more consideration. To make it more specific, does he want to quit all nicotine products altogether, or does he just want to quit cigarettes? Many people consider it a win if they switch from cigarettes to nicotine patches or Zyn or vaping. Maybe John wants to switch to patches and then quit patches later.

Maybe instead of quitting altogether, he wants to reduce his intake to half of his current use. A measurement of success may be to see how often he smokes in a one-month period or how many cigarettes he used over the year. Achievability in goal-setting requires hard honesty. Does John truly want to quit altogether? If he’s not ready to quit, what does he have the capacity to do?

Relevance reflects the intrinsic motivation to complete the goal. For John, what aspects of his life would improve with quitting smoking? What purpose is smoking serving him and how could those needs be met elsewhere? How would his body feel? What financial goals could he meet? Placing a timeline on these goals allows for opportunities to check in and adjust.

After considering these questions, John may change his goal from “quitting smoking” to “reducing smoking by one-third in the next two weeks” or even to “schedule an appointment with my doctor to talk about quitting smoking and how to address withdrawals by the end of the month.”

Reflection over previous resolutions allows for developing a better understanding of one’s own limitations and priorities. Proper planning with an approach mindset and SMART goals allows for self-monitoring, tracking progress, accountability and most importantly, sustainability while avoiding the “all-or-nothing” mental trap that leads to failure in resolutions.

Finally, working with a coach or a primary care provider creates a system of support and collaboration, increasing the likelihood of success. Life happens. This approach to resolutions takes life into account, building confidence and long-term successes.

Consider scheduling an appointment at Prism Family Medicine with Ryan Wofley, PA-C, or Dr. Jessica Rolynn to discuss your own goals.