New year, new you? Here’s how you can actually stick to your New Year’s resolutions in 2026

With Christmas gone and January deadlines looming, it’s that time of year where we set New Year’s resolutions. Expectations are high and the pressure can be tough. If you’re like me, and every year you set goals which get forgotten before February arrives, these tips and tricks are for you. 

I’ve been busy brainstorming how I’m going to make sure I stick to my New Year’s resolutions, and I’m sharing my ideas so we can all be the happiest, healthiest versions of ourselves in 2026.

One thing at a time

Let me guess. You want to study more, eat healthier, go to the gym, journal daily, read 30 pages per day and save more money. All at once. Attempting to implement lots of habits at once is unrealistic, especially as students with January exams and deadlines rapidly approaching! 

It takes approximately 21 days to form a habit, so taking your New Year’s resolutions one at a time is the perfect way to secure each one. Start with one goal you’d like to implement, and if you’re satisfied that you’re making progress after 21 days, build another resolution onto it. For me, I’m beginning 2026 with my goal of daily journaling. Once I’ve successfully done that for 21 days, I’ll add another goal. Patience is key.

Fit your goals within your university schedule

If your semester two timetable is crammed with 9am lectures, perhaps morning exercise isn’t the most realistic New Year’s resolution to focus on. Instead, it would be wiser to opt for a midday gym session or evening run. 

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Tailoring your resolutions to fit your university schedule is a recipe for success, because your study and personal goals will intertwine and harmonise. One of my personal resolutions for the year is to listen to audiobooks, which I can do as I walk to lectures, seminars and society events.

Make it social

Having a support system of people to hold you accountable as you smash your list of New Year’s resolutions will be essential. Get your friends, family and housemates involved, tell them your specific goals and share support. You might find that people in your life have similar goals to you which you can work on together!

For me, an important goal is to eat healthier, more colourful meals, and this is something my housemates and I will be working on together. We’ll be sharing meal plans and cooking dinner together in the evenings to support each other. I’ve also seen friend groups do yearly step count competitions, with the person that does the most steps winning a prize at the end of the year.

Throw in some fun resolutions

Positivity is the key ingredient for making New Year’s resolutions stick. If your resolutions are mostly difficult or contain negative words like “stop” and “never”, your motivation will slowly slip because good vibes are missing!

Make sure that among the serious, large-scale resolutions are some simpler, more fun goals. For instance, I’m wanting to get into doing heatless curls and exploring different hairstyles in 2026! It may sound silly, but having low-stake things on your list can make the more difficult things seem less daunting.

89Stay specific and realistic

Vague resolutions such as “get better grades” and “less screen time” are staying in 2025, please and thank you! Instead, opt for more specific and realistic phrasing to ensure you actually stick to your resolution. 

Instead of “get better grades”, break it down further into aspects such as: book an office hour, attend every seminar this week, or read two articles from the recommended reading list. Brea|king tasks down into smaller, more manageable chunks is something every university student has been told, and this idea is just as significant when it comes to New Year’s resolutions, both academic and personal.

Be kind to yourself

Remember that January is still winter and we’re biologically programmed to rest and recharge over the colder months. Finding motivation during this time can be difficult, and you may find yourself tired, burnt out and needing to rest. Be kind to yourself, understand that you will not completely change your life within a moment. 

The phrase, “new year, new me!” is so last year. Leave this messaging at the door. The most effective way of making New Year’s resolutions stick is to give yourself grace and forgiveness when things go wrong. It’s about learning more about yourself and growing in tune with who you are. Not completely changing and abandoning yourself. You’ve got this!