Let technology support your efforts to make changes in 2025
With great enthusiasm and optimism, many of us make New Year’s resolutions. We say we’re going to improve our diets, lose weight, get in better shape, save more money, take up a new hobby, or whatever. But in reality, we often get discouraged and give up on our resolutions early in the year. In a 2023 Forbes Health survey, 8% said their New Year’s resolutions lasted a month, 21.9% reported two months, 22.2% reported three months, and 13.1% reported four months.
Perhaps we all need a new approach to New Year’s resolutions. To find it, the Website Compass team started asking questions:
- What can we do to stick with our resolutions long enough to successfully reach our goals?
- Does it matter how many resolutions we make?
- How can technology — including apps and devices — help us stay motivated?
Clearly, there’s something powerful about New Year’s Day, since it allows us to turn the page and start a new chapter in our lives. To prepare to write that chapter, check out the tips and resources we’ve gathered for you.

Develop Your 2025 Goals Carefully
The best New Year’s resolutions are both aspirational and attainable. As you think about what you’d like to achieve, keep these recommendations in mind:
Start small. Think of little steps you can take throughout the year to help you reach a larger goal. Also keep your list small, with just a few resolutions on it.
Align your goals with your values. Rather than focusing on a specific out-come – such as a certain body weight – think about what you value and your true motivation for making a change. In the case of weight loss, it might be improved health.
Choose a new resolution. You may want to avoid picking a goal you’ve tried in the past but failed. Instead, pick something completely different and get on a new path to success.
Make a detailed plan. If you want to add a new activity to your routine this year, figure out where and when it will take place and put it on your calendar. A goal of “I’ll exercise more” isn’t as likely to happen as a goal of “I’ll go to the gym after work every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.”
Keep it measurable. Depending on your goals, you might be measuring pounds lost, dollars saved, hours spent exercising, number of books read, or something else. Keeping track of the numbers provides direction and can help keep you motivated.
Incorporate rewards. One way to make pursuing a goal that can feel like a chore more fun is to promise yourself a treat when you finish. If one of your goals is to organize your clothes closets, you could plan to buy yourself a new coat as a reward for getting it done.

6 Tips to Help You Stick to Your New Year’s Resolutions
It takes determination and perseverance to work toward your goals day after day and month after month. Use these tips to keep you going:
- Stay positive. Making changes in your life can be difficult, but focusing on the negative side — such as feeling tired or sore after a gym workout — will only discourage you. Believe in your goal and remind yourself of the many benefits you’ll gain from achieving it.
- Get support from friends. Spending time around high achievers can boost your own performance. If your New Year’s resolution is to run your first marathon, spend time with fellow runners who have completed marathons in the past. You’ll learn things from them and be inspired by their experience with marathon training. Plus, pursuing goals with friends is more fun, which contributes to success rates.
- Allow for setbacks. When you inevitably stumble and not perfectly execute your plans for 2025, your instinct may be to declare yourself a failure, throw in the towel, and give up. For instance, you may have resolved to give up desserts, but indulged in lots of them while on vacation. Fortunately, there’s a way around this. When you create your New Year’s resolutions, give yourself a “Get Out of Jail Free” card or two each week to deal with situations like this without feelings of failure.
- Hold yourself accountable. One easy way to do this is by telling a few friends or family members about your goal. Knowing they will check back with you periodically to see how things are going may be enough to motivate you to follow through. Alternatively, technology can help. Websites like StickK.com and Beeminder.com invite you to put money on the line that you’ll have to forfeit to a charity if you don’t achieve a stated goal. You just have to name a referee and set the stakes.
- Give your resolution time to become a habit. New routines don’t just become habit overnight. On average, it takes 66 days to form a new habit, so be patient with yourself. If you have minor setbacks or don’t hit your goal one week, pick it back up the next week. Just keep working at your goal and eventually it can become second nature.
- You can begin any time. You don’t have to start working on all of your resolutions on January 1. It may seem more manageable, and work better for you, to set just one goal per month. Or you could do your own thing and set resolutions each year on your birthday.