Transform New Year’s Resolutions into Lasting Habits: Your 2025 Guide to Success

AcademicAlly, LLC: January 8, 2025

Happy 2025 Everyone!

Standing at the dawn of a new year, we have a new marathon to run. The air is thick with anticipation and the path stretches out with the promise of challenges and triumphs just beyond the horizon. Every year we approach the starting gate willing ourselves to commit to a goal, a set of tasks and aspirations that will yield a better version of ourselves. “This is the year I will: lose ten pounds, earn better grades, drink more water, party less and focus more, learn a new language, read more than one book, try a new recipe, sign up for an art class….” The list goes on. As of last year’s race, I would hazard to guess not many new languages have been learned; you’re still carrying around that extra weight; and you never signed up for that art class.

Why is sticking to our new year’s resolutions elusive, so difficult?

1. Unrealistic Goals: Neurodivergent brains do not take measure of what’s realistic versus what may be too far-fetched. Many resolutions are set too high or are overly ambitious, leading to frustration and eventual abandonment when progress is slower than expected.
2. Lack of Specificity: ADHD brains don’t plan things out-they tend to leap before they look. With lofty goals in mind, oftentimes resolutions lack clear, specific action plans, making it difficult to understand what exactly needs to be done to achieve them.
3. Insufficient Commitment: It’s exciting to envision life on the other side of mastery, but the ADHD brain has difficulty with determination and resilience, especially in the face of great challenge. Consequently, this initial exhilaration can fade quickly without a deep-rooted commitment to the resolution, causing motivation to wane over time.
4. No Immediate Rewards: The ADHD brain frequently seeks immediate gratification. Sometimes our goals require patience and time before they are realized. The benefits of resolutions are often long-term and delayed, which can make it hard to stay motivated without immediate feedback or rewards.
5. Change is Hard: Implementing significant changes requires disrupting familiar routines, which can be uncomfortable and challenging to maintain.
6. All-or-Nothing Mentality: Living with an ADHD brain does not lend itself to flexibility and accommodation. It is easy to become ensnared in black-and-white thinking. Many people approach resolutions with a perfectionist mindset, feeling like a complete failure if they slip up even once, leading to abandoning the resolution entirely.
7. Lack of Support: Personal accountability is an executive functioning skill that is difficult to execute for the ADHD brain. In its absence, it is helpful to lean on others for support and accountability. Without support from friends, family, or a community, it can be tough to stay accountable for keeping the resolution.
8. Overestimation of Willpower: Resolutions often rely heavily on willpower, which can be depleted over time. This is very true for the inattentive brain that struggles with stick-to-itiveness and focus. Without sustainable strategies, reliance solely on willpower isn’t enough.
9. Impulsivity: the inclination for the neurodivergent brain to suddenly shift gears can disrupt progress, leaving a trail of unrealized potential in the rearview mirror.

Implementing self-improvement is both admirable and helpful in leading a fulfilling life. While we can find inspiration in New Year’s resolutions, they are elusive and not very effective when it comes to reaching our goals. There are more fruitful ways to empower ourselves to reach the potential we seek for ourselves, the most powerful of which is forming healthy and practical habits.

First, let’s define habits. A habit is a routine or behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously. Depending on the behavior, habits can be beneficial or detrimental and usually form over time through repetition. Establishing positive habits can lead to improved health, productivity, and overall well-being.

Some examples of helpful habits are: brushing your teeth every day; exercising regularly; studying ahead of time for an exam; and giving yourself grace on emotionally charged days.

It’s important to make the distinction between habits and resolutions:

1. Consistency Over Time: Habits involve small, consistent actions incorporated into daily life, leading to gradual and sustainable change. In contrast, New Year’s resolutions are often grand goals that lack a structured approach. We all know that the more a neurodivergent brain utilizes structure, the more likely the individual is to meet with success!
2. Automaticity: Habits, once established, become automatic behaviors that require less conscious effort, making them easier to stick to in the long-term compared to sporadic resolutions. Having well-established routines makes the ADHD brain more likely to stick with a plan of action, leading to positive long-term and enduring results.
3. Less Overwhelm: Building habits focuses on incremental progress, which is less overwhelming than attempting to make significant changes all at once with New Year’s resolutions. This resulting state of calm increases the likelihood that someone with ADHD will not only stay organized and focused, but they will also meet their goals.
4. Built-in Motivation: With habits, motivation grows as each small success builds upon the last, creating a positive feedback loop. Resolutions, however, often rely heavily on initial motivation, which can dwindle over time. Satiation is critical to the ADHD brain. The establishment of a solid positive feedback loop will fuel future motivation related to future endeavors.
5. Adaptability: Habits can be adapted and modified as they evolve, allowing for flexibility in achieving goals. Resolutions often lack this adaptability, making it easy to abandon them when circumstances change. I always say being flexible like a palm tree will take one further than the rigidity that comes with an evergreen tree. The road to success is not always a straight line-there are detours along the way. If you can pivot with unexpected changes and challenges, you will be more likely to reach and sustain your goals.
6. Focusing on Process: Habits emphasize the process, not just the end goal, fostering a mindset of continual improvement. Resolutions tend to focus strictly on results, which can be discouraging if progress is slow. The ADHD mind is not one that caters very well to frustration. Set yourself up for success by engaging in a process (not like the Sixers!) as opposed to a one-shot approach.
7. Positive Reinforcement: The immediate and ongoing rewards of successfully forming a habit encourage continued practice, while resolutions often do not provide the same level of reinforcement. As we mentioned earlier, the ADHD brain loves reward. When you meet with success, your brain gets a natural rush from that victory, and its natural desire for more of that same feeling can lead you to future wins!

So, now that we’ve sold you on the idea of habits over resolutions, how do you get started? Here are some suggested strategies:

1. Start with One Task: Focus on establishing one habit at a time to prevent overwhelm. Aim to build consistency in a single area before introducing another new habit.
2. Task Linking: Implement habit stacking by linking a new habit to an existing one. For example, if you already brush your teeth every morning, add a new activity like stretching immediately after.
3. Utilize Visual Lists: Create visual to-do lists with images or colors to make tasks more engaging and easier to follow.
4. The 10-for-20 Challenge: Inspired by Dani Donovan, this exercise is meant to inspire you to set goals for yourself in a structured fashion while simultaneously creating a stronger sense of time. Make a list of ten things you love to do, want to do, are curious, about, or are interested in. Set aside 20 minutes each day to do at least one of these things from your list. As Dani says, “It is about consistency and the choice to dedicate a tiny fraction of the day to your own happiness and improvement.” We are only talking about 1.3% of your day! Focus on choosing the “steps you love taking and see where they lead you.”
5. Routine Reinforcement: Reinforce routines by tying them to daily events, like drinking a glass of water when you wake up or journaling before bed.
6. Tech Aids: Use apps or digital assistants specifically designed to help ADHD individuals, providing structured reminders and motivation. I will be releasing an executive function app in early spring. I developed this tool for people across the lifespan who struggle with time management, organization, accountability, and distractibility. Stay tuned!
7. Visual Clocks: Use timers or clocks with visible countdowns to keep track of time and maintain focus on tasks.
8. Positive Triggers: Identify positive cues (like a favorite song) as triggers to start a specific habit, creating an enjoyable routine.
9. Celebrate Small Wins: Recognize and celebrate small achievements to boost motivation. This can include small treats or verbal affirmations.
10. Community Support: Engage with ADHD communities online to share experiences, tips, and receive encouragement from those who understand your challenges.

You are standing at the starting line of the (Fill in your name) 2025 Marathon. You have 26.2 miles to traverse. Here’s the thing: Ultimately, it is up to you to choose the most effective tools and strategies to empower you to cross the finish line. Will you choose the easy-to-grab simple carb fix that’s likely to peter out in less than a mile, or will you commit to a long-term complex-carb approach that will endure not only throughout this race, but in the rest of your pursuits to come?