Why Most New Year’s Resolutions Fail – What to Do Instead 

We are all very familiar with New Year’s Resolutions. January 1st, marking the start of a new year, has people feeling like it is the perfect time to start fresh. People around the world view the start of a new year as the perfect time to reinvent themselves, and do the things they always wished they had followed through on previously.

January has become a month of determination, but once February and March roll around, it seems as if the resolutions have been forgotten. Sadly, it is more common for resolutions to fail and dwindle than it is for them to be successful. Why is this the case? In this blog post we will go over why resolutions typically fail, and what you can do differently this new year to set yourself up for success. 

The Psychology Behind New Year’s Resolutions 

To most people, a new year means a fresh start. The desire to create New Year’s Resolutions, falls under what is known as the “fresh start effect.” The Fresh Start Effect is described as a “psychological phenomenon” that is impacted often times by having a clean slate. The new year feels like it is a clean slate, the previous year is in the past, making people feel more efficient with the ability to change. We as people like to distance ourselves from the past failures or disappointments, making a new year feel like the perfect time to do so. This Fresh Start Effect stimulates renewed motivation in people. Additionally, there are social inclinations to desiring resolutions. It is safe to say that the majority of the population is creating New Year’s Resolutions. If your environment is filled with people making changes, it gives you more motivation to create your own changes. 

Why Do New Year’s Resolutions Fail? 

Studies show that 88% of New Year’s Resolutions fail within two weeks of January. There are many reasons why this tends to be the case. Let’s dive into a few of them. 

• Resolutions are unrealistic and unattainable – If you have not gone to the gym in 5 years, it is safe to say that creating a resolution requiring you to go to the gym 6 days a week may not be realistic. Resolutions often are extreme, and don’t allow for gradual change. 
• All or nothing mindset – Going off of the gym analogy, if you only go to the gym 4 days out of the 6 that you wanted to go, people tend to give up. The mindset that leads to failure is: one missed day = failure.
• Relying solely on motivation – At the beginning of the year, motivation is high. However, that wears off, which causes people to give up. 
• Not specific – Goals tend to be vague, and don’t allow for tracking, such as “lose weight, eat healthy, save money, walk every day.” 
• No community – Actively trying to change bad habits requires support and community. Isolation or not sharing your goals does allow for people to check in and encourage you. 

What to Do Instead: Setting Achievable Goals

New Year’s Resolutions or desiring to change recurring habits are not inherently bad things. Resolutions can seem very daunting, as they tend to have definitive outcomes, allowing little to no growth. Resolutions take the route of two options: succeed or fail, allowing for no flexibility.

A better term for change at the new year is “New Year’s Goals.” Goals allow for growth and flexibility; they can also be altered as you go. Goals focus more on improvement rather than fixing every problem and bad habit from the last year. Let’s take a look at how you can set yourself up for a successful New Year: 

• Create goals you can build off of – Life happens, and things don’t always work out like you perfectly planned. Rather than setting large end goals, such as losing 50 pounds, or saving $6,000, set goals that can grow and change. For example, “I want to lose weight this year, so I am going to first buy a gym membership and make it a goal to go 2x a week for 30 minutes.” Once you master going to the gym 2x a week, you can expand that goal to 3 or 4 times a week. This will make your goals feel less rigid and daunting. 
• Set realistic goals – Remember, if you haven’t been to the gym in 5 years, it probably isn’t a good idea to say you’re going to go 6 days a week at 5:00 in the morning. Rather, set goals that you can achieve while still challenging yourself. That way, when the motivation falls off, you don’t feel drained. A better goal may be “I want to start moving my body more. I am going to wake up 30 minutes earlier 3x a week and go on a walk before work.” 
• Progress over perfection – Don’t look at your goals as a checklist that you pass or fail. If you miss a day at the gym, ask yourself how you can improve for the next day. It is better for you to miss a couple days at the gym, than it is for you to quit for 6 months because you missed one day. 
• Make your goals specific and trackable – Set goals that you can monitor. Instead of saying “ I want to walk more,” say, “I want to walk 30 minutes 3x a week before work.” Therefore, at the end of the week, you can track the days that you walked, what worked, and what didn’t work. 
• Reevaluate your goals every 1-3 months – Do a check in with yourself to figure out what is working and what is not working. This way, you won’t completely fall off of your goals if something is not working for you. Additionally, if growth needs to be made, this is the time to challenge these goals. 

Create Goals That Challenge You and Help You Grow

The most important thing to remember is that the purpose of these goals is to help challenge you to grow. Motivation will not last all year. Therefore, it is important for you to create habits and discipline in your routine. This is why making specific plans works so well. Creating a routine that you can stick to will make you more disciplined when motivation is lacking. 

References: 

Barnes, T. (2024, January 11). New Year’s resolutions: Why do we give up on them so quickly? Baylor College of Medicine. https://www.bcm.edu/news/new-years-resolutions-why-do-we-give-up-on-them-so-quickly

Dai, H., Milkman, K. L., & Riis, J. (2014). The Fresh Start Effect: Temporal landmarks motivate aspirational behavior. Management Science. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2014.1901