Did you know that the average resolution lasts just 3.74 months?
This grim outlook on New Year’s resolutions doesn’t stop millions of people from setting them each January.
But if there’s such a spectacular failure rate of New Year’s resolutions, why do we keep making them? Or perhaps more importantly, how can you ensure success this year?
Here we explore why setting goals is important, the age-old question, “Why do New Year’s Resolutions fail?” and offer three tips on how to reframe them for success in 2024.
New Year’s Resolutions—Why Bother?
Simply put, some love New Year’s Resolutions and others don’t.
Your personality type says a lot about your approach to setting goals on January 1st and may explain why they work for some and not for others (check out the Four Tendencies framework to understand your unique approach).
That said, there are some legitimate reasons why setting New Year’s Resolutions can be an important and productive way to kick off the new year:
1. Provide a Fresh Start
Turn the page on the calendar, turn the page on your life. A new year is a natural time for a fresh start—a chance to hit that “reset” button. This could be tangible, by setting your goals and resolutions, or psychological, by adjusting your mindset and approaching the new year differently.
2. Develop Clear Goals
The process of thinking about and articulating your goals helps you create clear resolutions to move forward with. Putting pen to paper helps you define exactly what you want to achieve and how you’ll get there. Without that clarity, it’s hard to reach them!
3. Create Positive Energy
Accomplishing goals helps you feel good. Taking time to think about how you want to change your life—and actually doing it—is a positive energy boost that helps carry you through the ups and downs of a new year.
Why Do New Year’s Resolutions Fail?
There are many personal reasons why New Year’s resolutions fail and some are beyond your control. But, there are also some common traps that many people fall into that make it harder to keep your resolutions.
Here are three big reasons why New Year’s Resolutions fail:
1. Having Unrealistic Expectations
Many people have goals that are simply too unrealistic.
For example, if you currently don’t work out but want to improve your fitness, setting a goal to go to the gym five times a week is unrealistic.
Or, if you have never picked up a musical instrument before, it’s unlikely you’ll be writing your own music any time soon.
Goals need to be realistic and achievable—more on that below.
2. Having Too Many Goals
You might have a few areas of your life you want to work on, but setting too many goals at once is a recipe for disaster.
Too many people create a list of 5-10+ New Year’s resolutions, all set to start on January 1. But it’s hard enough to make one change, let alone multiple.
For this reason, you should try to set just one or two key goals each year to help ensure it’s manageable and realistic. There is some domino effect to setting and achieving goals, too.
Once you reach one goal, you have momentum for the next, creating a positive chain of events. But it all starts with just one or two goals, not too many at once!
3. Forgetting About Obstacles
The last reason to explain why do New Year’s resolutions fail is that people forget about the obstacles and challenges that inevitably come up.
Success is not a straight, upward line—it’s full of ups and downs. So before setting your goals, consider what the challenges will be and what factors may hold you back from achieving them.
When you’re realistic about obstacles, you can prepare for them and develop resiliency to get through them.
3 Tips to Reboot Your Goals
So, how can you ensure you meet your New Year’s resolutions? Here are three simple but effective strategies:
1. Define Your Goals
As mentioned, having unrealistic goals is one of the top reasons why people don’t achieve them. The way to combat this is to define your goals. It’s to get specific and clear on what you are trying to achieve.
The popular SMART goal-setting framework is a useful way to do this. SMART goals are:
Specific: Think narrow, not broad. Instead of saying, “I want to get fit,” try, “I want to be able to run five miles.”
- Measurable: Identify how you’ll know if you reached your goal. This will help you stay motivated as you track your progress towards your goal.
- Achievable: Be serious—is this goal really achievable? Evaluate your goals honestly and choose things that are within your power to reach.
- Realistic: Some goals are technically achievable but require immense effort to reach. For example, you might be able to earn your dream salary if you pick up overtime shifts every week, but that might not be realistic because of other commitments and having time to yourself.
- Timely: Assign a timeframe to your goal—i.e., “I want to run the half-marathon in September.” This is a way of getting really specific with your goals, helping you keep track of your progress and stay on track.
2. Create an Actionable Plan
Once you’ve identified your SMART goals, move on to creating an action plan. Consider these questions to get you started:
- What specific actions will you take to achieve the goal?
- How will your daily or weekly routine change to achieve it?
- What will keep you accountable to your goals?
- Is there anyone who might want to join you in your goal?
- What environment will help you achieve your goals? (A coworking space, for example, can help boost your productivity and meet professional goals!)
- How will you celebrate when you reach your goal?
When thinking about your action plan, know that research suggests that approach-oriented goals are more successful than avoidance-oriented goals.
An approach-oriented goal is one motivated by positive feedback rather than negative feedback (an avoidance-oriented goal).
This suggests that building in positive feedback by way of rewards, celebration, or encouragement from loved ones can be motivating to help you achieve your goals.
3. Keep Your Goals Visible
The last strategy to reboot failed New Year’s Resolutions or start fresh is to keep your goals visible. Instead of keeping it all in your head, make the effort to write them down or create other visual cues that help keep you on track.
Here are a few ideas:
- Write your goals and action plan in a Google Doc that you can update.
- Journal regularly about your goals and how you’re progressing.
- Create a vision board or collect images and phrases that relate to your goals; put this up on your mirror or somewhere else visible to inspire you.
- Set your phone or desktop wallpaper as a reminder of your goals.
Whatever option you choose, just ensure your goals are out of your head and in the world!
That visual reminder of your New Year’s resolutions is a great way to make sure you are on track to reach them.
So, why do New Year’s resolutions fail? It comes down to a lack of planning and setting the wrong kinds of goals. But with some careful thought and intention, you can absolutely turn around any failed New Year’s resolutions and achieve more for 2024.
If you’re looking for a supportive and productive workplace to work towards your goals, you’ll find it here. Book a tour of your local Launch Workplaces today.
