Quit smoking, exercise more, eat healthier: Every January 1, we plan to do great things over the next year — only to fail most of the time. Here's how to make sure your New Year's resolutions work out.
Can you stick to your New Year's resolutions? DW is here to helpImage: Benis Arapovic/Zoonar/picture alliance
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There is certainly no lack of good ideas for 2026: Eating healthier, drinking less alcohol, meditating more often, and so on and so forth. Wait a minute! Aren't the resolutions you had this past year, and the year before that (and before that, and before that) amazingly similar to the new ones? Indeed! Perhaps they're even exactly the same.
No surprise there. The enthusiasm with which we start each new year is a bit like the fireworks on New Year's Eve: After a loud bang and bright flash, everything soon fizzles out. Eventually, the inner culprit takes control again. And so it goes year after year. But it doesn't have to be that way. If you take a few things to heart, you may very well stick to your 2026 resolutions.
1. One after another
The biggest mistake you can make is to do too many things at once," said psychologist Mario Schuster.
If you not only want to stop smoking, but also ban sweets from your diet and finally start jogging, you're bound to overtax yourself.
"To break old habits, we need willpower," said Schuster. But nobody has that in abundance. Pursuing several goals at the same time also means that our willpower has to be multi-track — and thus is quickly used up. In the end, we don't get anywhere.
"There's nothing to be said against changing several habits," said Schuster. "The important thing is to take things one step at a time."
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2. It must be fun
So now we have to pick a resolution to focus on. But which? They're all reasonable and sensible, after all. The answer sounds simple: "It must be fun. We need a positive approach to the change we want to make," said Schuster.
"I have to stop smoking" and "I want to stop smoking" may differ only marginally in terms of language. From a psychological point of view, however, it is crucial for the long-term success of a project whether we have to, or want to, do something.
3. Remain realistic
People who spent most of their free time lying on the couch in 2025 and have now made a plan to go jogging for an hour four times a week in 2026 are setting the bar extremely high. Most likely too high.
A proven couch potato should be satisfied if they manage to get up twice a week. Even if it's only for half an hour.
"Regularity is more important than duration and intensity," said Schuster.
After all, the point is to establish sport as a new habit. Those who don't immediately overtax themselves to the point of exhaustion also have a better chance of retaining the fun (see point 2), and thus also their good intentions.
4. Be accountable
The resolution has been selected and has taken shape.
"Now it may be helpful to tell a few people about it," said the psychologist.
That strengthens the commitment and provides accountability. A promise that we make alone in a quiet room is broken more quickly than one we make out loud.
The top 12 New Year's resolutions for 2026 in Germany
What are on people's lists of resolutions in Germany? A nationwide representative survey reveals how people plan to change in 2026.
Image: Maren Winter/Zoonar/picture alliance
Save more money
Germans' reputation for being thrifty is legendary. But data by World Population Review show that people from 16 other countries actually squirrel away more of their gross household income than the Germans, who on average save 11%. According to a Statista survey on Germans' New Years resolutions for 2026, 52% aim to put more money aside in the upcoming year.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/Schönberger
Eat healthier food
Low-sodium, low-fat, low-carb, gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, paleo, organic or raw food: There are plenty of trendy labels out there, but you can also simply improve your eating habits without following a strict diet. Just keep it fresh and colorful. Eating better is a resolution 50% of Germans have for 2026.
Image: Colourbox
Do more sports
Getting more active is another classic New Year's resolution. In Germany, 48% of people polled said they wanted to move more in 2026. Though New Year's resolutions typically fail at a rate of about 80%, with most abandoned by mid-February, roughly one in two German respondents to another poll claim to stick with their resolutions for at least four months.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa Themendienst/T. Hase
Lose weight
Though eating healthy food and working out can lead to shedding extra pounds, 37% of the poll respondents made losing weight a goal of its own for 2026. Keeping a journal might help you track your weight loss — "Diet Day 1: I have removed all the bad food from the house. It was delicious."
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Spend more time with family/friends
Another year has gone by and you find yourself cramming in too many dinners and parties at the end of the year in a last-minute attempt to claim that you haven't completely lost touch with your loved ones. But, next year, you'll see each other more often, you promise. That's how Germans feel about it, too — at least the 35% who have it on their list for 2026.
Image: Colourbox
Spend less time on social media
There's a growing body of scientific evidence showing that the internet stimulates the same neurotransmitters as addictive drugs — especially through the microfeedback one gets through social media. Twenty-two percent of Germans plan to put their smartphones down more often in 2026.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Reduce household costs
Twenty-two percent of the poll's respondents said they aimed to reduce their spending. A few tips: cancel unused subscriptions, avoid impulse buying, borrow items or buy them secondhand, avoid food waste and reduce energy use.
Image: Hendrik Schmidt/picture alliance/dpa
Increase job performance
Nineteen percent of Germans polled said they planned to focus on their professional achievements in 2026. If you stick to the resolution, you could add negotiating a better salary to your list of future goals: "Boss, I need a raise — there are three companies after me right now." "Really? Which ones?" "Gas, electric and water."
Image: Thomas Koehler/photothek/picture alliance
Drink less alcohol
According to World Population Review, Germany is currently the world's No. 5 beer-drinking country after Botswana, Czechia, Lithuania and Austria. Sixteen percent of Germans said they wanted to drink less alcohol starting in 2026.
Image: picture-alliance/imageBroker
Be more environmentally friendly
In addition to worrying about their health or financial situation, 16% of respondents to the survey want to do more actions to fight pollution and global warming.
Image: Michael Probst/AP/picture alliance
Stop smoking
Despite the well-known health risks, nearly one in five Germans smoke. Fifteen percent of the people polled said they were planning to try to stop in 2026. As studies have also found that quitting smoking is the most difficult resolution to keep, that might well end up on their list of resolutions again in 2027.
Image: LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS - stock.adobe.com
Reduce stress at the office
In contrast to the respondents who want to achieve more,14% of Germans aim to find a better work-life balance. While the trend of "quiet quitting" has been widely discussed in recent years, observers are now noting the rise of "job hugging," with employees sticking to their current jobs because of economic uncertainty. Above all, make sure you avoid burnout, and aim for happiness in 2026.
Image: Thomas Trutschel/photothek/IMAGO
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5. Don't despair
Even if we manage to stick to our best intentions entering 2026, our motivation may eventually suffer — or we may experience cravings for, say, a cigarette. On top of that, the gravitational force of the couch has never been greater! So we give in, lie down and have a smoke. What now?
"Under no circumstances should you condemn yourself for it," said Schuster.
That could derail the entire project. Setbacks are always possible and perhaps even probable. And they are OK!
The focus should be on successes — no matter how small they may seem. This strengthens our self-efficacy, explained Schuster.
"Self-efficacy means a person's conviction to be able to create something through his or her own efforts."
Those who maintain this belief in themselves don't throw in the towel as quickly.
6. Better no resolution at all than a bad resolution
Even good resolutions can be bad — when they're difficult to integrate into our lives, or when the driving force is an "I must" and not an "I want."
When we fail spectacularly, and self-condemnation has completely killed our self-efficacy, we must realize that even the best resolution is not automatically good. In some cases, we are better off starting the year without any resolutions.
This article has been updated for New Year's Eve 2025 and originally written in German.
