5 Reasons Why New Year's Resolutions Almost Always Fail (And What to Do Instead)
The start of a new year may be a great time to refresh and make positive lifestyle changes.
However, New Year's resolutions are easier to make than keep. Approximately 80% of people who make resolutions drop them by mid-February. Here's why:
1. Making big moves that require a lot of effort
Significant changes may not require massive efforts. If keeping a resolution seems like a huge task, chances are, it'll seem hard to do and make it easier to drop.
Instead, you may want to set small targets and hit them consistently.
For example, if you want to journal, instead of writing five pages every day, you may start with one line daily. If you want to read more books, you might consider reading for 10 minutes daily instead of only reading all weekend.
2. Setting vague resolutions
A resolution to getting healthier may mean a lot of things. For example, do you want your energy to improve? Get stronger? Feel lighter? Sleep better?
Goals may be easier to attain when they’re specific and realistic.
For example, reading more may change to reading one book a week by reading for 30 minutes daily, when you have coffee.
3. Not tracking progress
If you don't track your progress, you may not know how you're doing, and it may get easier to slip. You may start tracking by creating a simple plan, such as writing down goals with actionable steps.
Tracking may also come in many forms. For example, if you want to lose 100 pounds, you may track your weight. However, numbers aren't everything, and you might consider journaling your energy levels or strength.
If you start tracking, set specific milestones and rewards. Seeing that you've made progress may make you feel better from within.
These milestones could be eating fruit every day for a week, drinking eight glasses of water today, and so on. Milestones may also be "I stood up for myself today at work" or "I didn't immediately point out my flaws when I looked at the mirror."
When you reach them, make sure to give yourself the reward you deserve. It could be a hot bath, a walk in the park, little breaks, hot chocolate—anything you like.
4. Making it all about motivation
Motivation is often unreliable. You don't need motivation to watch Netflix, cat videos, or practice hobbies. They're fun to do, so you do it. However, it may be harder to come around when you need essential work done.
Instead, setting habits around your resolutions may make them more attainable.
Habits are excellent because once formed, they come effortlessly. If you incorporate your resolutions with habits, they're more likely to stick.
While setting habits, making it more fun may help. If you want to get fit, but the gym feels too stuffy, you may consider walking in the park instead.
Habit stacking may also help you build habits. You can try this by linking a current habit to a new habit. For example, if you want to learn the ukelele, you may work on it for 15 mins every day right after lunch.
Another great way to set habits is to adjust your environment for those habits.
Suppose your resolution is to stop mindless scrolling on social media. In that case, you may start by deleting those apps on your phone and only checking social media on your laptop.
5. Not seeking support
Change requires constant action, and doing it on your own may often be more challenging than doing it with others.
Support might strengthen your resilience to accomplish your resolutions. You may get help from coaches and trainers for almost any goal: finding a new job, building muscle, and learning a new skill. If you feel overwhelmed and stressed, you may also consider reaching out to a therapist.
You might also benefit from support from family and friends. You can reach out to a friend to keep each other accountable. Alternatively, you might find accountability groups on the internet, such as Facebook groups. You could also consider joining support groups in your locality or online forums.
New Year's resolutions may help you strive to be a better version of yourself.
However, it's completely okay to slip up. Resolutions may work better when you include room for slips. You can always pick them back up whenever you're ready and get back on track without giving up altogether.
