Why I’m Done Chasing Big New Year’s Overhauls (And What Actually Works)

It’s that classic time of year: the lightswitch flips at midnight, and suddenly it feels like all your old habits, all your old “hold-backs,” vanish.

Just like that, you burst into the new year with fresh ambition, new goals, a shiny new schedule, and a mindset where all your dreams are supposed to come true. 😅

You know the kind: a rocking body (let’s be honest, this is always somewhere on someone’s list), a healthy lifestyle with the perfect workout routine, parenting totally under control with homemade dinners on repeat, reading more, sleeping better.

And somehow… less than a week into January, the old habits and old hold-backs quietly make a comeback.

If you’re a parent, this can feel especially overwhelming, because while the calendar flipped, real life didn’t.

Kids still need rides and reminders.
Work still needs your attention.
Meals still need to happen.
Energy is still finite.
You still wake up feeling like a hot mess.

How do you New Year’s resolution that?

Even with support, it’s just… a lot. Like a lot a lot. A whole lotta lot.

Some days it feels like you’re sprinting just to stay in the same place.

The All-In Resolution Trap

I’ve been there, that headlong rush into resolutions, full of hope and excitement. And over the years, I’ve noticed something about myself: big, total-life-overhaul plans rarely stick.

I’d start off completely all-in, motivated, committed, buying all the things I thought I needed (and plenty I didn’t). I’d layer on the positive self-talk: This year is my year. I’m doing it. I’d make detailed plans, journal lofty goals, and envision the “new me” conquering everything.

And then, before January even closed out, the momentum would fade.

The journal would get buried. Those brilliant habits and goals I manifested in December would get twisted or tossed aside. Life happened again, kids’ schedules, work, laundry, and trying to keep everyone alive, fed, and sane. Myself included.

It took me a while to realize something important: the problem wasn’t me. And it wasn’t life as a busy parent.

The problem was the approach.

Flipping the Script

So I decided to do things differently. Out with old resolution chaos, in with a new approach.

Instead of aiming for perfection, I started thinking about baby steps. Small, intentional steps. A focus on consistency instead of intensity.

What actually works, especially for parents, isn’t a dramatic overhaul at the stroke of midnight. It’s manageable pivots that aren’t tied to January 1 or some magical “new chapter” moment. It’s simply committing to start and being willing to keep taking that first step, every single day.

I started asking myself:

What tiny actions lead to bigger goals?
How can I track small wins that keep me motivated?
How can I integrate these changes into real life, every day?

For example:

I don’t overhaul my entire wardrobe at once. I choose one piece each week that makes me feel confident.

I don’t force myself into a brand-new workout schedule overnight. I commit to 10–15 minutes a day and build from there.

I don’t completely redo meal planning. I focus on one supportive habit at a time, adding a new vegetable or prepping one balanced snack for the week.

When I focus on a few supportive changes, how I move my body, how I nourish myself, how I care for my mental space, things begin to shift.

Slowly. Steadily. And in ways that actually last.

Why Support Matters

Even when I know what I should do, having support makes a huge difference.

When I try to do everything alone, even the best intentions can fade. But when I have someone in my corner, someone to check in with, celebrate small wins with, and help me refocus when life gets chaotic, things start to stick.

Support doesn’t fix everything. It doesn’t make parenting, work, or life less busy. But it does help me:

Keep perspective when everything feels overwhelming
Notice progress I might otherwise overlook
Adjust when plans meet real-life challenges
Stay accountable when motivation dips

That encouragement has turned what used to feel like impossible resolutions into manageable steps I can actually follow.

A Different Way to Start the Year

This year doesn’t need to be about perfection.
It doesn’t need sweeping overhauls or “total transformation.”

It just needs:

A little direction
Some real support
And space to grow without burning out

Small steps. Manageable pivots. Real progress, not a checklist of things you’ll never finish.

Because small steps, support, and consistency can turn this year into one that truly works, for us, for our families, for the life we actually want to live, and maybe even preserve a little sanity along the way. 😉

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