A resolution list for new year, grouped by area with a first step

A resolution list for the new year that you can use starts with what adults told recent surveys, then a first step for each area. These surveys publish shares, rather than one ranked top 10.

Among Americans who made a resolution, Pew Research Center found 79 percent named health, 61 percent money or finances, 57 percent personal relationships, 55 percent hobbies or personal interests, and 49 percent work or career. Three-in-ten Americans made at least one resolution. By late January, 59 percent of resolution-makers had kept all of them so far, 28 percent had kept some, and 13 percent had kept none. A large majority, 87 percent, had kept at least some.

On the aims themselves, Ipsos reported that three in four Americans were resolving to eat healthier and exercise more. Eat healthier and drink more water tied at 73 percent. Sleep more was 69 percent. Drink less alcohol was 39 percent. Start or continue therapy was 30 percent. Reduce a carbon footprint was 37 percent. Only one in five wanted a dry January.

That is the common list. The rest of this page turns each share into a first step you can do this week.

Health, sleep, and movement

Move. Adults need at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week, such as 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, plus 2 days of muscle-strengthening activity, on the CDC adult activity page. First step: put one 30-minute walk on this week's calendar.

Sleep. Adults 18 to 60 years old need 7 or more hours, and one habit on the CDC sleep page is going to bed and getting up at the same time every day. Another is turning off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime. First step: set one wake time for tomorrow and one lights-out time tonight.

Eat and drink. Eat healthier and drink more water are the tied top items in the Ipsos tracker, each at 73 percent. First step: fill a bottle tonight and put it where you make breakfast.

Drink less. Drink less alcohol was 39 percent in that same Ipsos tracker. First step: name the evenings this week you will skip it, and write them down.

Talk with someone. Start or continue therapy was 30 percent in the Ipsos tracker, higher than the share who wanted a dry January. First step: write the name of one person or clinic you will contact.

Money, home, and the planet

Save a small amount. An emergency fund is a cash reserve set aside for unplanned expenses, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau calls putting even a small amount aside one of the first steps. Setting up automatic recurring transfers is one way the bureau names. First step: schedule one small transfer on the next payday.

Home. A calmer room is a common wish on idea lists, and it still needs a first action. First step: clear one surface for ten minutes tonight. That step is a household choice, not a survey share.

Carbon. Reduce a carbon footprint was 37 percent in the Ipsos tracker. First step: pick one trip this week you will walk, or combine with another errand.

People, work, and lighter aims

People. Personal relationships were 57 percent of resolution-makers in the Pew survey. First step: put one meal or one call on the calendar.

Work. Work or career was 49 percent in that Pew survey, and 65 percent among resolution-makers under 30. First step: write the one conversation or the one skill you will practice this month.

Hobby. Hobbies or personal interests were 55 percent in the Pew survey. First step: lay out the book, the instrument, or the shoes tonight so tomorrow starts with the object in reach.

Playful aims. A funny resolution still needs a first step, or it is only a joke. Learn one chorus, invent a breakfast, or write a thank-you that makes someone laugh. Do that one thing this week. These are household prompts, not ranks from the surveys.

Kids in the house. The Pew and Ipsos figures above are about adults. A child can draw one goal, and the household can pick one shared goal for the fridge. First step: sit down with paper for ten minutes and let each person mark one aim, in words or a picture.

Five you can start this week, taken from the shares above: fill the water bottle, set one wake time, schedule one 30-minute walk, schedule one small transfer, and put one call on the calendar.

A card of small wins across the year is a different shape of the same list, covered in goal bingo. Turning one aim into steps and check-ins is in how to set goals for the new year. Keeping a resolution past the first month is in how to keep New Year's resolutions.

When you want pages with the lines already drawn, use the set below. The New Year Goals Set holds the Goal Action Plan, Family New Year Goals, Monthly Habit Tracker, Goal Progress Chart, and Resolution Bingo Board. The Goal Action Plan turns one New Year goal into steps, a first step this week, and two check-ins. The Family New Year Goals sheet is one sheet for the whole family: everyone looks back, picks or draws a goal, and the family agrees one shared goal. It is print-only. The New Year Goals Set is PDF files in one ZIP, with US Letter and A4 editions of the included printables. The New Year Goals Set is $6.99.

Where a list stops helping

Survey shares describe adults who answered those polls. They are a menu. They are not a forecast that your household will keep the same share. A long example list can still skip the people in the house. The Good Housekeeping list of achievable resolutions has no section for children, and the Reclaim list of resolution examples has no section for children. Good Housekeeping already names first actions on several items, including a kitchen clear-out today and booking a checkup on the calendar. This page adds a child-specific prompt beside the survey shares, and a first step you can do this week. Write the first step beside the aim, or the list stays a wish.