It’s a time-honored tradition that January 1 is the best moment for setting all your resolutions for the coming year. Whether it’s journaling more regularly or finally thrifting the clothes you don’t wear anymore, it’s a time to look forward with optimism — at least for a couple weeks, anyways. But with all the activity and to-dos that pile up, plus the pressure of manifesting your whole life all at once, those resolutions might not even make it to February.   

“With the changing seasons comes the desire for self-reflection, but there isn’t the intense pressure you might feel at the beginning of a calendar year.”

In my experience, if you want those resolutions to stick, the fall is actually the best time to start a new habit. With the changing seasons comes the desire for self-reflection, but there isn’t the intense pressure you might feel at the beginning of a calendar year. Approaching with a “student” or “learner” mindset can also help give a little more positivity and openness to a new practice. Plus, with the benefit of hindsight, you can look to your previous behavior (i.e., the last nine months) to help drive your promises to yourself. 

So as we usher in the new season, it’s the perfect time to think carefully about what we’d like the next year to look like. Here’s how to do it. 

How to approach manifesting

Before we talk about the resolutions themselves, it’s important to consider what manifestation really is. In this context, it’s less about an intense, “this year everything’s going to change” approach, and more about the deeper practice of knowing ourselves. It’s a tricky balance, matching ambition with kindness. So the key is to start from a place of self-love, then dare to dream about how your life could look in the future.

“The key is to start from a place of self-love, then dare to dream about how your life could look in the future.”

Rebecca Hendrix, LMFT, integrative holistic psychotherapist, and part of The Good Trade Collective, explains, “Envision your life as if you are already there. What does it feel like? Look like? Smell like? Taste like? What’s a day in your life having accomplished the goal? How do you feel?”

She adds, “Have fun with it. Think and dream big. Make a vision board or tear sheets out of a magazine that remind you of the you living this new aspect of your life — look at it often while you’re moving towards it.” 

It’s also important to connect deeply with your reasons for manifesting in the first place: the larger significance to your life and wellbeing. Rae Leslie, life guide and writer, encourages a bit of meta-analysis. Think proactively about the impact of changing your life beyond the immediate moment. 

“Think proactively about the impact of changing your life beyond the immediate moment. “

“How will this make my life better? How will I feel once I’ve made this change?” she says. Then, consider the alternative. “What will my life look like if I keep putting it off? If we want to resolve some part of our life, we can ask ourselves: What are we hostage to?” she says.

In other words, know what’s standing in the way, and manifest from an authentic place. Ensuring that our goals fit our life will ensure that we’re starting from a place of groundedness — and it’s much more likely that we’ll follow through. 

Why fall is an excellent time for resolutions 

I happen to love the fall season, which already bodes well for any resolutions I’m making. The dip in temperatures, gorgeous fall colors (yes, I live in New England), and the deep exhale after summer is one of the best times of the year for me. 

I also live in a college town and work with universities, so the “new student” optimism is contagious. Even though I am long done with college, I try to envision myself as entering a new academic year of life. When I do that, I find it to be one of my most innovative and creative periods.

There’s actually some science to support this: People are more motivated to pursue goals at “temporal landmarks,” or psychological turning points. This could be as simple as a Monday or the first day of a month, or it could be as momentous as a holiday or birthday. Autumn falls nicely between these two poles. It’s a new season (literally) and an important month in the calendar, but it’s not so full of meaning that there’s a ton of added pressure. 

“It’s a new season (literally) and an important month in the calendar, but it’s not so full of meaning that there’s a ton of added pressure.”

For Leslie, she used the fall season to make a resolution to quit smoking. “I gave myself an entire year, and it only took six months to accomplish,” she remembers. “I stayed on track because I took the pressure off myself by not requiring it to happen on New Year’s Day.” 

This can apply if your favorite season is spring or summer, by the way. You can use the vibes of the season to drive you towards finding the energy to change. Hendrix explains, “Use the crisp fall mornings and the energy they bring to reflect about if your life was more how you’d want to be — what would that look like? What’s getting in the way? What do I need to let go of or be okay with to move towards that?”

How to make better resolutions

Once you’re rooted in self-care, think thoughtfully about how many resolutions you can realistically handle. You don’t want to overload yourself with a bunch of changes you can’t maintain over time, but the exact number will depend on your own context. 

“Once you’re rooted in self-care, think thoughtfully about how many resolutions you can realistically handle.”

“Each person is different in terms of how many resolutions they can be working on simultaneously and still make progress, not feel overloaded, and then give up,” says Hendrix. “For some, having one goal of finding a new apartment is manageable over a period of months, whereas for someone else, finding a new apartment and learning Spanish is doable.” 

“Look at which areas of your life you’d like to focus on over the coming year — it could be one big thing and three little ones,” adds Leslie. “When we change one big thing that isn’t serving us, we often notice it rippling out and changing other things, too. And once we gain the confidence to achieve something, we realize just how powerful our will can be when it’s directed toward our highest good.” 

The way you speak to yourself in the process has the most impact on your success. You can’t will yourself through self-judgment and shame towards long-term change. It can sound like: “‘I want to get healthier so my body can support me as I get older’ as opposed to ‘I need to lose weight because I look horrible,'” explains Hendrix. 

“The way you speak to yourself in the process has the most impact on your success.”

In a similar way, choose resolutions that make sense and are achievable in your real life. “If you’ve been thinking of taking up running, think ‘run 2 5ks’ vs ‘run the New York and Boston marathons,'” adds Hendrix. In my case, for example, it’s helpful to start any goals in the fall before the terrible winter weather comes, at which point I’ve totally lost all my motivation. Set yourself up for success. 

And, remember to keep that student mindset. If you’re starting in September, work on your resolution until May, then see how far you’ve progressed. Then resolve to start again next fall. You’re on no one’s timeline but yours. 

How to stay on track through the year (and beyond)

Reward, don’t punish — you’ll experience far less resistance if you treat yourself kindly, says Leslie. And don’t just reward yourself at the end of your goal: Give yourself something nice, or do something nice for yourself, every month you stick with it. Don’t forget to keep yourself connected throughout the process. “Small games can help keep us on track — wearing a bracelet in your favorite color, or carrying a special totem in your pocket as a reminder,” she notes.

“Even if you’re not “achieving” the amount of success you’d like, focus on what’s working.”

Even if you’re not “achieving” the amount of success you’d like, focus on what’s working. Any progress is cause for celebration, even if it’s falling below your expectations. “Once our mind gets filled with shoulda-coulda-wouldas, we tend to lose steam and resort to old coping mechanisms for feeling defeated or hopeless,” notes Hendrix. Remember that change is hard and that you’re still doing the work. 

In a similar way, practice self-forgiveness every day, particularly when you don’t make progress. To Hendrix, it can sound like: “I forgive myself for judging myself as lazy for not going to the gym. The truth is, I made a choice to call a friend, and that is good for me in other ways.” 

Then, continue to stay curious about yourself and about the process. Remember, you’re a learner of your own life. Resolutions are only one piece of that puzzle. 

“You’re a learner of your own life. Resolutions are only one piece of that puzzle.”

“If there are blocks — not feeling good enough, not getting enough sleep, feeling depressed or anxious — get help to move through the blocks instead of judging yourself,” says Hendrix. “It’s all just information about your owner’s manual and what you might need to move through a stuck place, not evidence of being a failure.”

And don’t forget: Your resolutions are a journey, not an event. As Hendrix put it: “It’s more about incorporating this new way of being or doing into your lifestyle. That’s what makes it a practice.”

Katherine J. Igoe is a writer and editor who covers fashion, beauty, and lifestyle, with sustainability at the core of her work. She’s written for The New York Times, The Cut, InStyle, etc., and been a contributing editor at Cosmo and Marie Claire.