A writer's guide to making & keeping New Year's Resolutions 🎆
- Emma Nelson
- Jan 6
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 24
How to set exciting, realistic goals that you'll stick to... Plus, a space to hold each other accountable in 2025!
With the first week of 2025 underway (🤯), many writers are likely considering setting New Year’s resolutions. Maybe you’re planning to hit the gym more, work on relationships, or earn a promotion. On the other hand, perhaps you’ve completely given up on New Year’s resolutions. Maybe you declared one a few years back and couldn’t stick to it, or you watched friends and family members set big goals just to fall off the bandwagon sometime in mid-January.
In the abstract, New Year’s resolutions are pretty silly! I mean, we go to sleep one night and wake up the next morning with a set of “very important” goals to reach. Of course, nothing actually changed from December 31st to January 1st, except a sudden surge in DUIs and car accidents.
As with many holidays, though, we can always choose to enjoy and benefit from the traditions that accompany them. Thus, I’ve written out some goals for myself this year, many of which are in regards to my ghostwriting business, book writing, and Substack newsletter. To do so, I used my freelancing action plan guide, which you can access for free in this post about goal setting as a freelancer.
I hope you find this guide helpful in setting and sticking to epic goals for your business this year!
📌 Quick Tips on Choosing New Year’s Resolutions
Set realistic goals. If you can’t take concrete steps to keep/accomplish your resolutions, you’re just going to find yourself overwhelmed, confused, or burned out. Don’t get stuck in a hamster wheel of disappointment by deciding to lose 100 pounds in 2 weeks or write 100,000 words in 5 days - choose resolutions that are sustainable and achievable. Choose goals that can be broken down into daily or weekly steps so that you have a clear roadmap to follow.
Don’t underestimate yourself. This is the opposite of the previous point. Don’t set resolutions that are so small, quick, or easy that you put off working on them, get them done in the first two days of January, or don’t feel accomplished when they’re completed.
Determine what makes you stick to plans. This is different for everyone! What gets you to stay determined, productive, and on track? Reflect on a successful long-term goal that you set for yourself in the past. What helped you stick to accomplishing that goal? Did you keep a consistent schedule, reward yourself at benchmarks, find a community to hold you accountable, or take periodic breaks? Take advantage of what works for your brain, and use your history to figure out what that is.
Examples of realistic, substantial writing resolutions for a one-year period:
Finishing your book manuscript and getting it fully edited
Self-publishing your book by following a good, multi-month marketing/design/launch plan
Landing 3 clients paying $10,000 or more
Revamping your website and socials to better fit your theme
Growing your Substack newsletter by a certain number of subscribers (based on where you’re at on December 31st)
👻 Resolutions Accountability at The Ghost Post!
Whatever your New Year’s Resolutions may be, I’m here to help you stick to them! Share your resolutions in my Substack Chat by signing up for my newsletter here. If you add any goals in the Chat, I'll check in with you at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months to see how you’re doing and encourage you on your journey!
Let’s use the power of accountability to grow this year. 🎉
And, of course, Happy New Year! 🎆
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