Make Your New Year’s Resolution (or Any New Habit) Stick with One Powerful Principle

Every December, half of the American population makes a New Year’s Resolution. We purchase a new gym membership, get our financials in order, and mentally commit to becoming “a better person” than we were last year. We always start off the New Year with the best of intentions– yet only 9% of us are able to make our resolutions a reality.

With one simple, yet powerful, principle you will greatly increase your chance of success in accomplishing your New Year’s goals. In fact, according to Leo Babauta, author of the bestselling book The Power of Less, your chances will skyrocket from less than 35 percent to greater than 80 percent. How?

Focus on one habit at a time.

This concept isn’t new. In fact, it dates way back to a time of America’s founding fathers. Talk about a guy who knows how to get things done– Benjamin Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. One might ask, how in the world did one person manage to accomplish so much? While Benjamin Franklin was relentless in his pursuit of success, he also was also very adamant about one thing in particular: focusing on just one habit at a time.

The problem with our modern-day resolutions is not that they’re unattainable or farfetched, it’s that we often bite off more than we can chew without realizing it. Say your New Year’s resolution is to get fit in the new year. You bought a FitBit, you’ve purged your kitchen of all sugary snacks, and heck– you even treated yourself to a new pair of running shoes and signed up for a 5k. As far as you’re concerned, there’s no way you can fail now– you’ve done everything right. But before you know it, work gets crazy, schedules change, and all that’s left of your New Year’s resolution is that sweet pair of Nikes that have somehow found their way into the back corner of your closet.

At this point, you’re feeling defeated. You can’t help but wonder what you did wrong. “How could I not stick to this one simple habit?!” But the truth is, that “one simple habit” was actually a collection of several new habits. Walking 10,000 steps a day. Cutting out sugar. Learning to cook. Running. Actually eating breakfast. Sure, those things may not be terribly difficult on their own, but what is difficult is trying to do all of those things at once.

The solution? According to Leo Babauta, “The only way you’ll form long-lasting habits is by applying the Power of Less: focus on one habit at a time, one month at a time, so that you’ll be able to focus all your energy on creating that one habit.”

So, before you throw in the towel on your New Year’s resolution, take a good hard look at your daily habits. And, as you start to make progress, don’t get ahead of yourself: Once you’ve added a new habit into your routine, add another… but not a bunch, at once! Don’t try to juggle more than you can handle and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Start small, apply the power of less, and remember to focus on just one habit at a time.