The Science of Making — and Keeping — New Year's Resolutions | Hal Hershfield

1. Connect with Your Future Self

Actively think about and connect emotionally with the person you will become in the future, as this connection significantly impacts the decisions you make today. This bridge between your intentions and actions helps you make choices that lead to future satisfaction rather than regret.

2. Make Your Future Self Vivid

To strengthen your emotional connection to your future self, make that future self more vivid and concrete. This can be done by writing a letter to your future self (and receiving one back), telling a story about your future self, or using age-progressed images.

3. Leverage Fresh Start Moments

Utilize “fresh start” moments, such as the New Year, the start of a new quarter, or even a Monday, as opportunities to wipe the slate clean and begin new behaviors or goals. These moments provide a psychological boost, making it easier to convince yourself that this time, you will do things differently.

4. Implement Commitment Devices

Use commitment devices to put guardrails on your future behavior, ensuring your actions align with your long-term goals. These can range from soft commitments like telling an accountability partner, to stronger ones like removing temptations or using timed safes, to the strongest, which involve an accountability partner and a material cost for failure.

5. Break Down Big Goals

Make large goals feel more achievable by breaking them down into smaller, more manageable parts. Framing a large sum (e.g., $150 a month) as a smaller daily increment (e.g., $5 a day) can significantly increase the likelihood of starting and sticking with a new habit.

6. Set Goals with Emergency Reserves

When setting ambitious goals, build in “emergency reserves” or buffer days to account for inevitable setbacks. For example, aim to work out seven days a week but allow for two emergency days, so that missing a day doesn’t feel like a complete failure and allows you to get back on track.

7. Utilize Goal Ranges

Instead of a single target, set a range for your goals (e.g., meditate 1-5 days a week instead of 3). This approach allows the high end to stretch you further while the low end keeps you involved and motivated even during challenging periods.

8. Prioritize Consistency in Practice

While flexibility in goal setting (like ranges or reserves) is beneficial, strive for consistency and regularity when actually putting goals into practice. This structured approach helps maintain momentum and makes behavior change more sustainable, similar to effective parenting.

9. Start with Easy Tasks

When facing a new goal or a daunting task, begin by tackling the easiest parts first. This generates a sense of momentum and makes the overall process feel less painful, increasing the likelihood that you will continue and complete everything.

10. Make the Present Easier

Actively seek ways to reduce the perceived “pain” or sacrifice associated with actions that benefit your future self. By making the immediate effort less burdensome, you increase the likelihood of following through with beneficial behaviors.

11. Bundle Temptations for Motivation

Pair a necessary but less enjoyable activity with a highly pleasurable one that you only allow yourself to do during the less enjoyable task. For example, only listen to your favorite audiobook while exercising, making the workout more appealing.

12. Use Tangential Immersion Wisely

To sustain an uncomfortable or boring activity for a longer duration, pair it with a moderately engaging, complementary pleasurable activity. The key is to find a match where the pleasurable activity is just engaging enough to distract without completely overshadowing the main task, like doing a word puzzle while brushing teeth.

13. Embrace Multiple Strategies, Focused

When experimenting with behavior change, consider trying a few different strategies simultaneously, as a “kitchen sink” approach can be effective for seeing initial movement. However, avoid trying to change everything at once; focus on one or two key habits to build confidence and fuel further changes.

14. Balance Future with Present

While planning for your future self is crucial, recognize the danger of over-sacrificing the present. Actively engage in present experiences, build relationships, and create memories, as these aspects of living in the moment also serve and enrich your future self.