• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
CommentaryCommentary

Why you shouldn’t make New Year’s resolutions

By
Veenu Aishwarya
Veenu Aishwarya
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Veenu Aishwarya
Veenu Aishwarya
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 9, 2015, 7:00 AM ET
Courtesy of Veenu Aishwarya

The Leadership Insider network is an online community where the most thoughtful and influential people in business contribute answers to timely questions about careers and leadership. Today’s answer to the question “What’s one New Year’s resolution to improve your career in 2015?” is written by Veenu Aishwarya, CEO of AUM LifeTech.

Every year many of us make both personal and professional New Year’s resolutions. However, most of these resolutions are never achieved for various reasons. So this year, instead of making new resolutions and add to the accumulating “debt” of promises, I propose a slightly different approach: tackle the resolutions that you didn’t complete.

How can you do that? It’s simple. Make a list of all previous unfinished New Year’s resolutions that you made in the past 5 years (or even more if you can go further down your memory lane). Once you have made the list, focus on the ones that you feel are best and try to finish them this year.

This may sound silly, but trust me at the end of the year you will be “debt free” of all the promises that you made to yourself in the past several years. It can also be a great gift to yourself for 2016. Additionally, doing so may help improve your time management skills by getting you to acknowledge deadlines and stick to them. For those who usually achieve all of your New Year’s resolutions – I salute you.

Read all answers to the Leadership Insider question: What’s one New Year’s resolution to improve your career in 2015?

How to achieve financial success in 2015 by Alexa von Tobel, founder and CEO of LearnVest.com.

Watch more opinions on New Year Resolutions from Fortune’s video team:

About the Author
By Veenu Aishwarya
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Commentary

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
Fortune Secondary Logo
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Commentary

heitmann
CommentaryEntrepreneurship
Here’s how to build something that lasts, from the founder of a $300 million bootstrapped company that’s been growing for 28 years straight
By Tim HeitmannMarch 1, 2026
2 hours ago
world's fair
CommentaryRobots
Something big is happening in AI, but panic is the wrong reaction
By Peter CappelliFebruary 28, 2026
1 day ago
putin
CommentaryRussia
Exclusive analysis: we looked at the 400 western firms still in Russia. Their paltry size strips Putin’s bluff bare naked
By Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Stephen Henriques, Jake Waldinger and Giuseppe ScottoFebruary 27, 2026
2 days ago
roth
CommentaryLeadership
The AI resource reallocation challenge: How can companies capture the value of time?
By Erik RothFebruary 27, 2026
2 days ago
will
CommentaryAdvertising
I’m one of America’s top pollsters and I’ve got a warning for the AI companies: customers aren’t sold on ads
By Will JohnsonFebruary 27, 2026
2 days ago
the pitt
CommentaryDEI
‘The Pitt’: a masterclass display of DEI in action 
By Robert RabenFebruary 26, 2026
3 days ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Success
Japanese companies are paying older workers to sit by a window and do nothing—while Western CEOs demand super-AI productivity just to keep your job
By Orianna Rosa RoyleFebruary 27, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
The week the AI scare turned real and America realized maybe it isn't ready for what's coming
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 28, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Middle East
Iran is now on 'death ground' amid existential threat from U.S. attacks and could 'go big' in retaliation, former NATO commander warns
By Jason MaFebruary 28, 2026
19 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Walmart exec says U.S. workforces needs to take inspiration from China where ‘5 year-olds are learning DeepSeek’
By Preston ForeFebruary 27, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of February 27, 2026
By Danny BakstFebruary 27, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Middle East
Dubai’s worst nightmare unfolds as Iran strikes Gulf neighbors
By Dana Khraiche, Fiona MacDonald and BloombergFebruary 28, 2026
14 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.