The two weeks after New Year’s often bring a surge of new energy and ambition. With a “new year, new me” mentality, people flood the gym, planners fly off shelves and screen time dips—only for the gym to empty out two weeks later, planners to sit unopened and Netflix to once again dominate our screen time. It is easy to scoff at New Year’s resolutions, but negativity rarely helps.
Instead of abandoning resolutions altogether, aspirational self-improvers should view New Year’s as an opportunity to reflect and craft realistic action plans.
If you have ever felt demotivated midway into January, trust that you are not alone. A slew of unofficial dates, such as “Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day” on Jan. 17 or “Quitter’s Day” on the second Friday in January, highlight this trend. Research by Forbes Magazine found that the average resolution lasts just under four months.
Why does this happen? It could be because we are asking the wrong questions. According to licensed clinical psychologist Terri Bly in an interview with VeryWellMind, the primary reason for these shortcomings is that many make resolutions without knowing the reason behind them to begin with.
Whether it’s hitting the gym, reducing screen time or overcoming procrastination, the key is to connect the resolution with a meaningful personal benefit. Are you going to the gym thrice a week due to your desire to be fit, to build greater endurance for your studies or simply because it’s what you think you’re supposed to do? The clearer the “why,” the stronger the commitment to the resolution will be.
It may also be helpful to focus on what you can start doing rather than what you should stop doing. According to PLOS Research, a resolution centered around taking action is much more likely to succeed. Take fitness goals as an example: instead of focusing on not drinking sugary drinks without a replacement, make a resolution to drink healthy kale smoothies (the horror) and go on a run three times a week for an hour.
At the same time, it is also important to remember that being honest with oneself and setting reasonable goals in a particular timeframe is the best way to set resolutions that actually work.
Resolutions are simply goals, and falling short once doesn’t mean change is impossible. We are already at the end of 2024 when it feels like it just started, but that’s exactly why it’s essential to focus on what lies ahead. Instead of looking back on past mistakes, we should look forward. The beauty of goals is that you can always recommit to them. This time, though, maybe don’t try replicating Cassie’s 4 a.m. GRWM routine.
