5 Healthyish Things, including my 10 hacks for keeping resolutions

If you want to stick with your resolutions, stop thinking of them as tasks and start seeing them as part of who you are. Instead of “I want to exercise more,” try “I am a person who prioritizes fitness.” Instead of “I want to make more money,” try “I am an epic provider for my family.” 

My recent resolutions have sounded like this—“I have a great community of friends” or “I take excellent care of myself.” It’s not about doing the thing, it’s about being the thing. I’ve found making this shift is one of the best ways to follow through on resolutions. 

Taking it a step further, I think a lot about this perspective from last resolution season, which suggests reframing resolutions as obsessions. Fitness, finances, painting, whatever it may be—getting obsessed helps make it part of your identity. It’s a deeper commitment to change, not just checking off a list.

Want a quick hack to actually build a habit this year? Habit stacking is your best friend. The idea is you attach the new habit to something you already do every day. For example, do 10 pushups right after you brush your teeth. Every time you get to that part of your daily routine, you remember to do your new habit, too. 

In my experience, habit stacking can make or break a resolution. When I wanted to get into meditation, I experimented with habit stacking. First I tried meditating after each workout, but didn’t always follow through. Then I tried making it part of my morning routine. Now every morning I wake up, pee, and meditate—and I’ve barely missed a day in the last 10 years! 

This year I wanted to read 24 books, and… I didn’t. I think part of my issue was I didn't find the right routine to trigger reading, so I never built the habit. Maybe next year?

Similarly, temptation bundling combines something you want to do with something you need to do. So if your resolution is not something you like, you can make it more appealing with something that’s fun. For example, I’m secretly a big NBA nerd (go Heat!) and I save my favorite basketball podcast, The Mismatch, for when I work out.

Waiting until January 1 to start working on your resolution puts a lot of pressure on that moment and can set you up for failure. Instead, dip a toe in now with a soft start.

It’s like a gentle resolution launch that lets you build momentum and troubleshoot any obstacles that might come up. Now is a great time to play around with things like habit stacking and see which systems might be most effective. Then, when January comes, you can hit the ground running.

Studies show that focusing on the steps rather than the end result helps you reach your goals more effectively. If you’re aiming for something big, like running a marathon, don’t just imagine crossing the finish line. Get hyped about the training runs, the sweating, the playlist you’ll make—focus on the process and the behaviors you can control right now. Get into the weeds of it, and the outcome will probably take care of itself.

Part of any successful plan is preparing for the setbacks. If-then statements are great for this—think of them as a Plan B for every situation. So instead of making just one rigid plan, your if-then statements create detailed alternatives for when the plan isn’t going to plan. Like, “If I’m too tired to work out, then I’ll go for a 10 minute walk.” 

Having a go-to backup for the curve balls takes the pressure off. Life isn’t perfect, and neither is your resolution. But with if-then statements, you’re more likely to stay on course when the course takes a detour.

I’m all for ambition, but big goals can be intimidating. Your brain can go into full panic mode when faced with something massive. 

The solution? Breaking big goals into small, achievable steps is meaningfully more sustainable than approaching one big goal. Want to meditate for 20 minutes a day? Start with two. Want to run a marathon? Start with a mile. You’ll build confidence and, most importantly, momentum.

I started meditating using Headspace for just two minutes and now I do 10 (even 20 if I’m feeling saucy). I ran a half-marathon by doing 5Ks first.

Framing resolutions as what you plan to add to your life (like “eat more vegetables”) is significantly more effective than focusing on what you want to take away (like “eat less junk food”). Focusing on what you want to bring into your life will feel more sustainable than obsessing over what you need to restrict.

Listen, no one is going to execute their resolutions perfectly. And that’s okay. Progress, not perfection, is what gets you to your goal. Small wins are the real motivators. If you miss a day, don’t throw in the towel—remember the five days you nailed it. Use those wins to fuel your next step forward. Be kind to yourself. These resolutions are for you, not to impress anyone else.

A resolution buddy is someone working towards the same goal as you—usually a few months ahead in progress—who helps you stay on track. Set a goal and you’ll have a 10% chance of completing it. Find someone to hold you accountable, and your chance goes up to 65%. 🤯 When it comes to sticking to your resolution, an accountabilibuddy is everything (and so is the name 😂).  

A great example of accountability in action is this newsletter. I decided to start writing this newsletter earlier this year, and part of what helped me see it through was effectively writing along with friends of mine who had already started their own.

One way to break an unwanted habit is by making it harder to engage in. Think: putting junk food out of sight or deleting social media apps (which I’ve done about 1,000 times with Twitter/X 😬). For example, I wanted to stop using my phone before bed, so I eventually started charging it in the closet at night. If you want to make something less compulsive, add some friction.

Sometimes the right product is all it takes to get excited about a change. 

I was trying to build a skincare routine this year, and the thing that finally got me hooked was this CeraVe night cream. It smells amazing, feels like luxury, and I actually look forward to putting it on—which helps me stay consistent with my routine. Find that product that you love (or ask for one as a late Christmas gift). It could be the key to sticking with your new habits.

The Healthyish League

Building something in health? I love to help and love to recommend others who help, too. Here are a few of my carefully selected recommendations, all of which I’ve personally worked with (and some of which I have a formal relationship with): Herman-Scheer (branding & creative), Aequitas Partners (exec & board recruiting), Healthyish Content (my SEO & content agency), Perceptual Advisors (comms & public affairs), Right Side Up/Lantern/Matchnode (growth marketing), Verbose (embedded lifecycle marketing), Titan (exec coaching), and Lakehouse (pre-seed venture capital). Email me anytime for intros.