Why is it so difficult to stick to resolutions? Six reasons why you fail to follow (2024)

FAQs

Why are resolutions so hard to keep? ›

Why aren't we more successful at keeping our New Year's resolutions? Some reasons include the idea that we're thinking too big, we're not considering the 'why' behind them, and the fact that we may not be ready for change.

It is possible to realistically achieve certain goals in the long term - or at least for the year ahead. The reason why many new year's resolutions fail is that we tend to have an underlying urge to reinvent ourselves and rush into the process - often at a great cost to our wellbeing.

Common resolutions include exercising more, losing weight or saving money, and Shah says that with these, people tend to go too hard, too quickly, instead of taking small steps. He explains that the number one reason people may give up is because their goals are unachievable or idealistic.

Goals should start at a time of change or need for change. So many resolutions are set because it is tradition. Goals are your vision of what you would like the future to look like. If you are setting a resolution for tradition's sake, then your motivation will be lacking compared to a goal set because of a need.

In fact, New Year's resolutions don't typically come from a positive mental place. Focusing on what you feel may be “wrong” with your life can be detrimental – especially if you don't fulfill those resolutions. When most people don't make good on those resolutions, how healthy is it to continue making them?

Part of the problem with typical New Year's resolutions is that they're poorly designed. “Lose weight” or “spend less, save more” fail on several counts. Among other things, effective goals are specific and measurable. Goals poorly formulated are goals easily forgotten.

Research shows that group support can help us stick to our resolutions. It can be helpful to be held accountable, whether by loved ones, a professional, a course, or an app. By declaring our intention to someone else, it can help us to follow through with that goal.

Studies show that around 80% of resolutions crash and burn by February. Why? Because resolutions often lack specificity, are fueled by societal expectations, and are burdened by the weight of perfectionism.

And yet, by some estimates, as many as 80% of people fail to keep their New Year's resolutions by February. Only 8% of people stick with them the entire year.

Rather than bettering the quality of your life, setting unrealistic goals for the new year can have many other consequences. It can lead to anxiety, issues with self-image, and even depression. Therefore, instead of setting unrealistic New Year's resolutions, there are other ways you can create new habits.

What of people stick to new year's resolutions? ›

While 39% of people in their twenties will keep their resolutions until the end of the year, this drops to 14% among people in their fifties – it seems experience isn't an advantage.

The effectiveness of New Year's resolutions can be hampered by the challenge of maintaining commitment over the long term. The transition from the initial enthusiasm of setting a resolution to the day-to-day discipline required to achieve it is where many stumble.

Why? Because great big New Year's Resolutions are a stupid concept. Choosing a single day to start a major life change isn't logical. That's why New Year's Resolutions don't work, and when you fail to keep them, you feel like a loser.

According to one survey, only 36%, on average, make it past the first month of January, compared to 9% who successfully keep their resolutions throughout the year. Why is it that most New Year's resolutions fail? The problem may lie in how people set goals, as well as how they adapt when obstacles come up.

The Forbes Health/One Poll survey found that the average resolution lasts 3.74 months. The poll also revealed that just 8% of respondents tend to stick with their goals for one month, while 22% last two months, 22% last three months and 13% last four months.

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