National Resolution Planning Day Date in the current year: December 30, 2024

A New Year’s resolution is a tradition in which a person resolves to change their behavior for the better in the coming year: to get rid of an undesired habit or trait, accomplish a goal, continue good practices, etc.

The roots of New Year’s resolutions can be traced back to ancient times, when people promised to their gods at the start of the year that they would pay their debts and return anything they’ve borrowed from others. The tradition of reflecting on one’s past behavior and resolving to change it for the better exists in the Abrahamic religions, for example, Judaism (the period of High Holidays) and Christianity (the liturgical season of Lent).

One of the earliest references to New Year’s resolutions can be found in the diaries of Anne Halkett, an English religious writer and autobiographer. By the early 19th century, the tradition to make resolutions (and then fail to keep them) was commonly known and often satirized. The first mention of the complete phrase “new year resolution” is dated 1813.

The origins of National Resolution Planning Day are unclear, but you will probably agree with us that the choice of the date makes total sense because December 30 is the perfect day to make New Year’s resolutions; on December 31, you will be too busy preparing for your New Year’s party.

So, how do you make New Year’s resolutions? Start with reflecting on the past year: which of your goals you’ve accomplished and which you haven’t; what made you happy and what didn’t; what you would like to change about your life and what aspects of it are better left unchanged.

Once you’ve done with reflections, you can formulate and write down your goals for the next year. They can be as big or as small as you want; remember that you’re doing it for yourself so it doesn’t matter what others might think or say about your goals. What matters is that they are important to you.

You can write your New Year’s resolutions on a sheet of paper and carry it around in your wallet as a constant reminder about your goals, make a colorful poster and tape it to your bedroom wall, or even use a goal tracker app that will help you stick to your resolutions and accomplish your goals.

Some goals may be hard to accomplish on your own. Why don’t you ask some of your closest friends to be your support team? You can write your New Year’s resolutions together and promise to help each other stick to your goals; they will have your back, and you will have theirs! And, of course, when one of you accomplishes one of their goals, you can celebrate it together.

You can share your New Year’s resolutions with others or keep them private; it’s your choice. Either way, don’t forget to post about National Resolution Planning Day with the hashtag, you guessed it, #NationalResolutionPlanningDay to spread the word about the holiday and encourage others to set goals for the next year.