When it comes to New Year’s Resolutions, there are two extremes. On one end, you have the “new year, new me” crowd. They tend to make broad, sweeping, overly ambitious resolutions. They start out super gung-ho, and then crash and burn between 3 and 6 weeks into the year.

On the other end, you have the fit bros on the iNtErWeBz claiming “iF iT wErE rEaLY iPoRtAnT, yOu WoUlD hAvE sTaRtEd AlReAdY.” Thanks, asshole, that’s not helpful. The reality is, the New Year is a perfect time to start a new goal. It’s what we call a “temporal landmark” – a hard calendar reset that can double as a mental reset.

Two Types of Resolutions:

Now that we’ve established that resolutions are a good idea, we can dive into the competing schools of thought as to how to set one. On one hand, you have outcome based resolutions. These resolutions are focused on an end goal. Examples include losing a certain amount of weight, a performance metric in the gym, reading a certain number of books, learning a language, etc.

Proponents of outcome based resolutions believe that having a concrete target to shoot for allows you to plan backwards, plot a course of action, and push yourself to be successful. Opponents of outcome based resolutions argue that it sets people up for failure. It’s easy to fall short, especially if the goal is super ambitious or unrealistic. If you fall off track, you’re pretty much screwed.

Instead, opponents argue for process/habit based resolutions. They argue that if you focus on the process, rather than the end point, you set yourself up for success. If you fall off track, you just hop right back on, since there’s no real end point. Now that we’ve established the arguments, who is correct?

Which Resolution Type is Best for You?

The reality is, both approaches can work. It’s simply a matter of choosing the one that is best for you AT THIS TIME. What does that mean? Obviously, your life situation is going to play a big factor in which type of resolution you choose. If you’re super busy with work and family life, a process based goal might be more realistic. If you don’t have a ton of time to focus on a specific outcome, then it’s not worth choosing that type of goal.

So, here’s a simple flow chart to determine which type of goal to set:

In sum, start with an outcome-based goal. Once it’s set, start thinking about what it will take to achieve it. Do you already have the habits/processes in place that you’ll need to be successful? If so, then great! Perhaps they just need a bit of tweaking. Make sure your goal is SMART and realistic. Losing 20 lbs in a year is doable. Losing 20 lbs in 2 weeks is not.

If you don’t already have the habits/systems in place, then switch to a process-oriented goal. For example, if your goal is to lose weight, and you don’t currently track your nutrition or go to the gym, then perhaps you should pick one of those processes. That might mean tracking your food 7 days per week, or going to the gym 3x per week. Once those habits are established, you can revisit the outcome-based goal and once again assess whether it’s realistic, or if you need to establish other habits.

Final Word on Resolutions

The bottom line is that resolutions are good for a mental reset. We want you to be successful, so use the process above to determine which type of resolution to set. In fact, use this process throughout the year as your goals evolve. It doesn’t need to be used exclusively for New Year’s Resolutions. With luck, you’ll achieve your resolutions early in the year and your goals will evolve from there. I hope this helps, and see you in the gym!