January 15, 2026 — As the new year unfolds, many Australians find themselves already struggling to maintain their New Year’s resolutions. Whether it’s improving fitness, eating healthier, or managing finances better, the struggle is real, and the numbers tell a compelling story.
According to research from Australian price comparison site Finder, only 8% of Australians are likely to achieve their resolutions. January 12 is reportedly the most common day they are broken, often due to unrealistic expectations.
“We often set New Year’s resolutions based on who we want to be, not where we realistically are right now,” says Sarah Megginson, a personal finance expert at Finder. “Resolutions fail when we aim for perfection instead of progress.”
Embracing Smaller Goals for Greater Success
Megginson suggests that setting smaller, more manageable goals can lead to lasting success. “Whether your focus is health, travel, or finances, lasting progress rarely comes from drastic overhauls. It’s built through small, realistic actions that fit into your everyday life,” she explains.
This approach is gaining traction on social media, where content creators are showcasing alternative goal-setting methods. Techniques such as journaling, theme-setting, and vision boards have become popular, with over 1.6 million examples on TikTok and hundreds of thousands on Instagram.
The Rise of Habit Trackers
Another trend that might help individuals achieve their 2026 goals is the use of habit trackers. These tools, often mobile apps, help users record specific behaviors daily.
“At its most basic level, it’s a checklist, either on paper or in an app, where you choose a habit and mark each day you complete it,” explains Dr. Ben Singh, a research fellow in Population and Digital Health from the University of South Australia.
Dr. Singh notes that habit trackers can be effective because they make behaviors more visible. “Habit trackers turn something automatic and fuzzy into something concrete and measurable,” he adds.
Understanding Habits
Habits are often misunderstood as inherently negative, but they are more nuanced. “A habit is a learned behavior that becomes automatic through repetition,” says Dr. Scott Pedersen, senior lecturer and director of the UTAS HABIT Laboratory at the University of Tasmania.
Pedersen emphasizes the importance of awareness, as habits can be either beneficial or detrimental to well-being. “Good habits support health and productivity, such as exercising regularly, brushing your teeth, or planning your day. Bad habits undermine these areas, such as smoking, excessive screen time, or skipping meals,” he explains.
Implementing Habit Trackers
Habit trackers can reinforce good habits through positive feedback and highlight triggers for bad habits. “They support goal achievement by showing incremental progress,” says Pedersen. He recommends listing the habits you want to track, recording daily, and reviewing progress weekly to identify patterns and adjust goals.
While confronting, seeing how often you perform a “bad” habit can cultivate awareness, not judgment, according to Singh. “Once you can see patterns, such as certain times, places, or emotional triggers, you’re in a much better position to change them,” he says.
Choosing the Right Tracker
When deciding on a habit tracker, both digital and paper options have their advantages. “App-based trackers are popular because they offer reminders, streaks, and visual summaries of progress, but they can also feel overwhelming or get lost among other notifications,” Singh notes.
Popular habit apps include Habitica, Streaks, Productive, Loop Habit Tracker, and Habitify. Meanwhile, paper trackers, such as journals, calendars, or printable templates, offer simplicity. “They are also distraction-free and highly customizable, although they rely more on memory and consistency,” Singh explains.
The most important factor, Singh says, is choosing a tracker you will use consistently, as consistency matters more than the format.
Getting Started with Habit Tracking
Wellbeing and communication coach Gareth Robinson advises ensuring new habits align with personal goals. “Choosing the wrong ‘good’ habits is a mistake some people make,” he says. “Your new habits need to align with who you want to become.”
Robinson recommends starting by tracking just one or two habits and making each habit specific and easy to measure. Regularly reviewing goals is also key to making necessary adjustments.
Singh emphasizes the importance of self-compassion in habit tracking. “Approach habit tracking with self-compassion; lasting change comes from curiosity and progress, not punishment,” he advises.
As Australians navigate their resolutions, embracing these goal-setting trends might just be the key to achieving lasting change in 2026.
