Here to Help: How to Future-Proof Your Happiness

I’m not immune to the allure of resolutions. For about 25 Januarys, I vowed to drink eight glasses of water a day. And for 25 years, I failed. The same thing happened when I resolved to journal, do daily pushups and so on. A few years ago, I resolved to stop setting myself up for failure. Now, I sit down during the first week of January and list the things I did last year that made me feel good. Once I’m done with my list, I go into my calendar and schedule time for more of these activities.

My process made me wonder whether other people had found interesting ways of thinking about resolutions. So I reached out to a few experts and asked them how they approach resolution season.

SECRETS OF GOOD RESOLUTIONS My first call was to Dan Harris, the host of the “10% Happier” podcast and an expert on meditation. (Full disclosure: We went to middle school and high school together.) Harris told me that making something meaningful to you is a great way to actually get it done. When he’s trying to lock in a new habit, at the start of the year or any other time, he tries to understand the “why” behind his goal. Harris meditates and exercises, for example, because they make him more effective for other people, he said.

Next, I reached out to Oliver Burkeman, a productivity expert and the author of “Meditation for Mortals.” He said resolutions can sometimes make people feel worse, not better. We often expect massive changes done perfectly from the outset, he explained. So whatever you hope to do in the new year, let yourself start off poorly. “Ten minutes spent very badly jogging,” he said, is “just infinitely more valuable than all the most amazing plans to do it perfectly.”

ANOTHER WAY TO THINK ABOUT HABITS What also helped keep me in check was the benevolent coaching I got from Chris Bennett, Nike Running’s global head coach. I called him to ask for his thoughts on resolutions, and he gave me some surprising advice: Don’t do them. Instead, double down on the healthy habits you already have “and then celebrate them,” he said.

Maybe you read before bed each night or avoid grabbing your phone first thing in the morning. Try not to take these habits for granted, he said: “We do really great, awesome things that we would make a resolution to do if we weren’t already doing them.”

I’ve learned that the new year doesn’t need to be a time of transformation. Whether you make a resolution, ignore the impulse or just continue what’s already working: The old you is just fine.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.