“New Year, New Me.” That’s what everyone says, but is it really true? In 2026, America’s most common resolutions were to exercise more, be happier, eat healthier, and save more money. Although these goals are productive and achievable, only 9% of people who make New Year’s resolutions successfully achieve their goals, despite 39% saying it is very likely they do so. About 31% of Americans make them, but that number is much higher amongst Gen Z teens and adults.
Some suggest setting SMART goals, instead of just making a New Year’s resolution. SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. A study by Drive Research shows that using this framework in different ways can drastically improve the likelihood of following through. In a study, people who wrote their goals down had success rates of 76%, which was 33% higher than those who did not. This shows that establishing a framework for achieving your goals is an important step to completing them. Even though achieving your goals without a SMART plan is significantly more difficult, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t set New Year’s resolutions. A survey from YouGov shows that 32% of Americans think that making a New Year’s resolution makes their year better. This may suggest that simply making a resolution leads people to have a more positive outlook for the next year, making resolutions beneficial even if they aren’t necessarily achieved.
To conclude, if you want to make and follow through with your New Year’s resolutions, make a SMART plan and write it down on paper, but even if you decide not to, at least think about your goals so that you can start the year on a positive note.
