The 7 Post Reports: The trick to making New Year’s resolutions stick
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Jan 19, 2026 Maggie Penman, a reporter for The Washington Post's Optimist section, shares inspiring insights on keeping New Year's resolutions. She emphasizes that setting goals still matters, even when not fully achieved. Maggie suggests reframing goals into enjoyable actions and highlights the buddy system’s effectiveness in boosting accountability. She introduces fun strategies like temptation bundling to pair enjoyable activities with necessary tasks, making the journey toward resolutions both productive and pleasurable. It’s all about harnessing motivation and social connections!
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Goals Help Even When Unfinished
- Setting resolutions matters even if you don't fully achieve them because partial progress still improves outcomes.
- Maggie Penman cites researchers who say making goals increases likelihood of improvement.
Frame Goals As Additions Not Bans
- Reframe goals toward adding enjoyable behaviors rather than forbidding things you like.
- Maggie suggests aiming to "eat more fruit for dessert" instead of "stop eating cookies."
Stopped Forcing Myself To Run
- Maggie tried forcing herself to become a runner for years and discovered she disliked running.
- She now chooses dance and social exercise she actually enjoys instead of forcing running.
