Why We’re Likely to Fail at Our New Year’s Resolutions

9 Reasons Why Our New Year’s Resolutions Fail and How to Fix Them

Last Friday, January 13, marked Quitter’s Day. Quitter’s Day is the unofficial holiday when most people drop their New Year’s Resolutions, which occurs on the second Friday of January. So, why do so many people give up on New Year’s Resolutions, and how can you be part of the 9% that achieves their resolutions? Here are nine common reasons for abandoning a New Year’s Resolution:

1. Lost motivation

According to Insideoutmastery.com, “35% of people attribute losing motivation as the top reason for giving up.” 

To combat loss of motivation, try incentivizing working towards your goals with rewards. You can choose how often to reward yourself. If you struggle every time you have to work towards your goal, create a reward right after you finish your work. For example, for every 30 minutes you work out, you can give yourself 30 minutes of TV. Or if you need the motivation to get to the following week. In that case, you can reward yourself with some relaxation time every weekend to reset. 

2. Poor time management

The second reason most people abandon their resolutions is being too busy.

Psychology Today says, “Managing your time effectively is not about crossing all the entries off your to-do list; it is about knowing what your priorities are and getting the right things done first.” But getting your priorities in order doesn’t have to be complicated. Start by writing down the things you need to get done and then number them by importance. Then, complete what you can do daily and worry about the rest tomorrow. 

3. Lack of support

A lack of support can be a killer of motivation and ultimately result in the death of your resolution. A study from Crispy Green found that 41% of people tell others about their goals to make themselves more accountable.

Give yourself the support you need by telling others about your resolution. For example, tell your friends and family about your resolution or join an online support group. Check-in with your support system often to get encouragement when you’re struggling and celebrate when you’re winning.

4. Timing is off

The New Year comes with a lot of pressure to revitalize your whole life. A phrase that comes to mind is “New year, new me!” If everyone around you makes resolutions, it can be stressful to be the only one without one. 

But just because everyone else is creating a resolution doesn’t mean you have to. If you still need to get ready or equipped to reach your goal, you’d be better off waiting until you are prepared. Working on your resolution when you’re not ready can lead to frustration. So it’s okay to wait on your goal until your timing is right.

5. Wrong headspace

Being in the wrong headspace can be because you need more time to be ready to put in the effort or need to know the reason for your resolution. To succeed at your resolution, you have to be mentally prepared for all the hard work and potential obstacles that will come with achieving your resolution. 

Moreover, you might know your resolution, but you must also know the real reason behind it. For example, you can say you want to get in shape, but why? Do you want to look better? Or feel better? What does being in shape really mean? You must clearly define why you’ve chosen your resolution to be ready to succeed at achieving your resolution.

6. Overconfidence

Completing your resolution will be hard work; you can’t fool yourself and say it’s not. Having confidence is essential to achieving your goal, but having too much can be poisonous to your success. You don’t want to believe that you are so good that your goal will be a piece of cake because it won’t be.

The Business Insider suggests, “Recognize that you have weaknesses and that you’re going to struggle, and you’ll be more emotionally prepared to meet your goal.” Analyzing your weaknesses and preparing yourself for overcoming them can help you have realistic expectations for achieving your resolution. So when you are faced with a challenge, you won’t have to back down because you have already prepared yourself.

7. Lack of self-belief

If your New Year’s Resolution is something you’ve previously set out to do but have failed at, you might need more confidence to succeed. 

One of the most common New Year’s Resolutions is to lose weight. Unsurprisingly, a study by YouGov Global Profiles revealed that 52% of global consumers are “usually trying to lose weight.” Yet, often we try to reach the same goal repetitively with little to no success. So why do we keep doing it? Because the goal is important to us. 

However, when you know you’ve failed to achieve a goal, you might have a little nagging voice telling you that you won’t make it. The fact that you are trying again shows you have the willpower to make it. You can achieve your goal if you remind yourself that you are capable, and if you weren’t, you wouldn’t have tried again in the first place.

8. Not enjoying the process

One way to rapidly lose motivation is by doing something you don’t enjoy. We’ve all heard the quote, “Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” The same can be said for the process you take to get to your resolution. 

If your resolution is to exercise more, and you choose to go running and end up hating it, you will want to quit your resolution quickly. But instead, find a way that you love to work on the resolution. For example, you may love to dance, so turn on the tunes and get in your exercise. Whatever your resolution, you have to find a way to make it fun, or else you’ll lose motivation and give up.

9. Needing to give things up

You must be ready to give up certain habits to instill new ones. Changing habits can be difficult, especially when considering the things you must give up to get to your goal. For example, if your resolution is to get better sleep, you may have to give up your nightly TikTok scroll to ensure you get to bed on time. You must be prepared to give up some things to make room for new ideas.