'New Year's Resolutions' photo (c) 2011, Friedl Vanluchene - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

I use goal-setting a lot with my students. You can read more about those specific ways at The Best Posts On Students Setting Goals and in my book, Helping Students Motivate Themselves.

I’ve also discussed a specific lesson using New Year’s Resolutions in my December New York Times post.

There are always a lot of columns written about this time advice on how to make New Year’s resolutions succeed, and much of it is contradictory.

I thought I’d a few of them which I think are the best, and which could be used in a lesson next year when school is back in session. And much of the advice in them can be used at any time during the year to help students – and ourselves – make changes. Feel free to suggest more:

Seven Strategies for Highly Effective New Year’s Resolutions is from Forbes.

How to Make New Year’s Resolutions Stick: Q&A With Expert on Change is from TIME.

Oliver Burkeman on Failed New Year’s Resolutions is from Newsweek.

10 Step Guide for Making Your New Year’s Resolutions is from Psy Blog.

Making Resolutions That Stick is from NPR.

Top Ten Strategies For Making Your New Year’s Resolutions Stick is from Lifehacker.

How to phrase your New Year’s resolutions is from The Boston Globe.

9 Steps To New Year’s Resolutions That Last Longer Than New Year’s Day is from Barking Up The Wrong Tree.

Here’s a New Year’s Resolution lesson plan for English Language Learners from The British Council

The Key to Making New Year’s Resolutions Stick is from The Harvard Business Review.

How To Keep Your Resolutions is from The New York Times.

For a different perspective:

A case against New Year’s Resolutions

New Year’s Resolutions Are Bad for You is from TIME.

Resolve.To.Improve. is from Burkins and Yaris.

The 99U Guide to Habits includes several good articles.

Journalist and author Charles Duhigg (read my interview with him at Education Week) has posted a great flow chart on making New Year’s resolutions.

The science of actually keeping your New Year’s resolutions

WHY ARE RESOLUTIONS SO HARD TO FOLLOW? is from Fast Company.

Quote Of The Day: “Temporal Landmarks” & Goal-Setting

New Year’s Resolutions Lesson Plan is from Tim’s Free English Plans.

Bridget Jones’s New Year’s Resolutions: Lesson Plan

To succeed with New Year’s resolutions, start early is by Art Markman.

What’s the Best Way to Get People to Stick to Their New Year’s Resolutions? is from The Pacific Standard.

Keeping your New Year’s resolutions is hard. These 7 tips make it easier. is from Vox.

Helping Students Make New Year’s Resolutions: A Step-by-Step Plan is by Jennifer Gonzalez.


Here’s the Secret to Sticking to Your New Year’s Resolution is from TIME.

Can Psychology Teach Us How To Stick To New Year’s Resolutions? is from NPR.

To bolster a new year’s resolution, ask, don’t tell is from Science Daily.

More people to stick to New Year’s resolutions is a lesson for English Language Learners from Sean Banville.

Here’s Why Your Resolutions Can’t Rely On Willpower Alone is from Psychology Today.

Six Secrets Of People Who Keep Their New Year’s Resolutions is from Fast Company.

Here’s a good New Year’s Resolutions lesson for ELLs from The British Council.

Here’s an alternative to a New Year’s Resolution:

 

Here are some excellent resources on One-Word New Year’s Resolutions. I’m adding it to The Best Ways To Help Make Your New Year’s Resolutions Succeed.

How To Make Good New Year’s Resolutions is from Five Thirty Eight.

12-step guide to keeping those resolutions is from The Harvard Gazette.

The Only Way to Keep Your Resolutions appeared in The NY Times.

Tim Ferriss, Oprah Winfrey and other successful people don’t make New Year’s resolutions — here’s what they do instead is from NBC News.

How to Crush Your Habits in the New Year With the Help of Science is from The NY Times.

This Year, Try Downsizing Your Resolutions is from The NY Times.

New Year’s Resolutions That Will Actually Lead to Happiness is from The Atlantic.

The science of how to stick to New Year’s resolutions and truly change your habits is from CNN.

Re-think your resolutions for the new year by making intentions instead is from USA Today.

How to make New Year’s Resolutions that you will keep is from Tim Harford.

New Year’s Resolutions: 10 Step Guide for Making Them Stick is from PsyBlog.

Pick a New Year’s nudge word instead of a resolution is from The Washington Post.

1-Word New Year’s Resolutions for ELT is from TESOL.

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