New Year; SMALL GOALS

This year, let’s reframe resolutions. An expert tells me why baby steps may be the best way to kick off 2026.

- AMY BRIGHTFIELD,EDWIN FOTHERINGHAM

Does the new year have you wanting to get organized, eat more vegetables, exercise, cut back on alcohol, and sleep better? While those are all virtuous goals, the annual resolution talk often amounts to just that: talk.

In a Forbes Health/OnePoll survey, only 9 percent of respondents said they stuck to their resolutions for five months-and a meager 1 percent were still sticking to their goals after 365 days. (There's even a Ditch New Year's Resolution Day on January 17 because research shows most people don't make it past that date.) Rebecca Heiss, PhD, a stress physiologist and author of Springboard: Transform Stress to Work for You, explains part of the reason: Change is stressful, and big resolutions can overwhelm your brain, creating more anxiety.

That's why I never make New Year's resolutions.

Instead, I make little goals for myself every day, year-round, breaking big goals down to smaller, bite-size intentions I can actually tackle.