Forget New Year’s resolutions: Psychology reveals how to rewire your brain for success in 2026

January is a time when many people reflect on their goals for the year ahead—a new job, a promotion, hitting the gym, or overall better health—but research from Baylor College of Medicine and psychologist Richard Wiseman shows 88% of people actually fail to achieve their New Year’s resolutions.

But according to the experts we asked, you should forget resolutions—and do these things instead.

Rewire your brain

“Repetition, not intention, rewires behavior,” says Cherian Koshy, author of Neurogiving. “Resolutions fail because they rely on willpower, and willpower is unreliable. What works is design.”

“The brain follows what’s easy, not what’s aspirational, and behavior changes faster when [it] requires less decision-making,” Koshy adds.

According to Koshy, New Year’s resolutions live in an imagined future, but behavior lives in today’s defaults. The brain learns who you are by what you repeat, not what you declare.

If something matters in 2026, stop promising to do it later, and practice it now. That’s how to achieve your first win of the year.

Make a to-don’t list

Resolutions can help us be more intentional about how we spend our time in the year ahead. At least, that’s the theory.

But with so many people already overwhelmed by their to-do lists, adding resolutions is likely to just lead to burnout in January, says Sally Helgesen, women’s leadership expert and coauthor of How Women Rise.

“That’s why it can be helpful to focus on what we want to avoid in 2026: our to-don’ts rather than our to-dos,” she says. “For example: Don’t use the phone on Sunday (or Saturday), don’t make promises without taking a day to think them through, and don’t set the alarm clock one morning a week.”

Ask yourself, what do you want to leave behind?

Start small rituals

Instead of chasing big New Year’s resolutions, try small daily rituals.

“Taking three slow breaths before getting out of bed or stepping into morning light when you wake up can have a powerful impact and help life feel more grounded, clear, and steady long after January ends,” Marsha Ralls, founder and CEO of wellness retreat The Phoenix, Asheville tells Fast Company.

“My best recommendation is to identify habits that naturally fit into your daily routine and begin incorporating them right away, whether that means taking an afternoon walk outside, or committing to a more consistent bedtime, even on weekends,” she says. “Over time, these small daily actions go a long way in supporting overall wellness.”

Try New Year’s intentions

“I would recommend having New Year’s intentions instead of resolutions, [which] are often based in shame and focus on what you are lacking,” therapist Esin Pinarli tells Fast Company.

“Be more emotion-based than action-based,” Pinarli adds. “What was one thing you learned this past year? What is one thing that you will not be bringing into the new year, whether that’s a person, behavior, or habit?”