New Year’s Resolutions Are Likely to Fail, and What to Do Instead

Posted on January 2, 2017 by resourcefulman

The New Year is a great opportunity to reflect on how far we’ve come and where we hope to go next. The problem is that most of us then start making completely unrealistic decisions that ultimately fail. Here are the most common bad decisions and how to fix them.

This post was originally published on December 30, 2013.

New Year’s decisions are not easy. This is a great idea in theory, but most of us do too much at once, make them too vague, or are simply not motivated. Achieve more this year by finding a good solution , learning what steps you need to take to achieve it , and making it easier to achieve .

“I’m going to lose weight”

According to Statista and Statistic Brain , the most common New Year’s decision is to lose weight. It also violates two basic rules for creating effective solutions . First, “losing weight” is not very specific. It could be five pounds or fifty. It’s also a wonderful goal that actually includes many small goals that can be overwhelming. So if you want to make it more workable, try targeting them instead. For instance:

“I’m going to be recording my eating and exercise habits.” Forget changing your habits right away. Start by observing them . By recording what you eat and how much you exercise, you determine what to do next. Hence, your goals will not be abstract and lofty, they are simple and manageable. Try one of these tools first .
“I am going to change something in my eating habits every month.” Regardless of whether he follows the previous step or you do it yourself, you can start small to change your diet and lay the foundation for new habits. Avoiding unhealthy foods or reducing portion sizes may sound easy, but it’s practical. You can use each small change as a stepping stone to new challenges.
“I will train three days a week.” Everyone says they are going to start going to the gym, but without a specific goal, there is nothing to keep you motivated. So give yourself a certain number of days and train the same days every week. The key is to fit it into your daily routine and keep yourself motivated to really stick to it. If you’re looking for ideas, our Lifehacker Workout might be a good place to start.

Of course, there are hundreds of small changes you can make that will affect your weight. The main thing is to choose one or two that are easy to manage. When you are comfortable with it, you can skip to the last section.

“I’m going to spend less and save more.”

If there is one solution that is ripe for big promises and crushing failures, it is a vague intention to “improve” your finances. Whether it’s “spend less money” or a promise to “save more,” here are some more specific goals you should try:

“I will draw up a monthly (or weekly) budget and stick to it.” Instead of promising to “buy less” throughout the year, take a look at your monthly budget for January and set everything aside for a specific purpose. If you’ve never done this before, start with our 101 adult budgeting guide and track it with a tool like Mint . Then make sure you review and tweak it every week or month (this is the important part) to make sure you stick with it.
“I’m going to save money automatically.” If you have a good budget, there is no need to “go out” to save something. You can split your direct deposits, schedule automatic withdrawals to external accounts, or use banks like Simple, which allow you to slowly withdraw small amounts of money over time.
“I will reduce these three main bills.” You can skip buying Starbucks every day, which will save you $ 4-5 per day, or around $ 100 per month. Another way to save money, however, is to save $ 200 on your car or electricity bill, which is less stressful and could potentially bring much higher rewards. Possibly , three of your biggest expense – is housing, transportation and food , so if you want to save, start with this.

The best thing about financial decisions is that they are easy to measure. If you want to improve your finances in the new year, start by choosing a number. Whether it’s a year, a month, or a day, giving yourself a certain amount of money you want to save can help narrow your decision down to something specific enough to be successful.

“I plan to enjoy life, worry less, be happier, etc.”

At this point, you can start detecting the pattern. Even though they are vague and pointless, decisions like “enjoy life” and “worry less” remain at the top of the table. Fortunately, they are not impractical. They just need a little direction.

“I’ll set a time to worry.” Did you hear me. Want to worry less? Incorporate this into your schedule . Worry is an emotion just like any other, and making yourself feel less of it will be less productive than channeling it into a healthy outlet.
“I’m going to take two real vacations this year.” Especially in the United States, there is a lot of pressure not to take vacation or take very little. If your goal is to enjoy life, don’t give up. Science will even support you. Research shows that when people spend your money on experiences rather than crap, they report higher levels of satisfaction .
“I will learn this new skill.” Gaining new abilities is not only beneficial for personal satisfaction, but it can also improve other aspects of your life. It boosts mental performance and improves memory, especially in the elderly . You can even use this dedicated tracker to track your progress for the first 100 days. Once this is done, you can learn a new skill. Resolutions not only for January!

“I want to be better”

According Statista , despite the fact that last year it was the third most common resolution, it is awfully unspecific. In general, decisions are about self-improvement, so declaring that you decided to “be better” is like saying that you “decide to solve something”. As we stated earlier, specific goals are better . For example, this could include:

“I’m going to donate X% of my income this year.” Donating to charity has never been easier. For example, Amazon has a program where you can donate 0.5% of your purchase to a charity of your choice. You can even use this extension to always shop through this site. If you want to make a difference in the lives of others, this is a great way to get started. There are many other ways to contribute to charity without spending extra money.
“I will work to be less angry / more reserved / more considerate.” Being a “better person” is incomprehensible. “I really would like to stop punching so many things,” says the specifics. If that’s your problem, learn to effectively manage your seething anger . Or you can try working on your composure . Or improve your concentration . Whatever you do, narrow down the field.
“I will meditate once a day.” It may sound silly, but meditation has many psychological and physical benefits . If you want to stick to the overall goal of “getting better,” meditation is a great way to do this. It can reduce stress, improve memory, boost creativity, and more. Plus, it’s easy to get started.

“My New Year’s decision …”

When you look at it, the cynical truth is that the New Year is nothing special. We all collectively agree to look back and be enthusiastic about writing the wrong year in all of our documents for next month. While this is a great self-assessment, the truth is that changing your habits is a year-long process, and if you don’t get it done by February, you can try again in March. If you are going to install any solutions, be prepared to track your progress.

“I will create new resolutions throughout the year.” Instead of planning to lose 50 pounds in a year, try to develop new eating habits by February, a new exercise program by April, shed your first 10 pounds by June, etc. In practice, you may end up doing the same. but breaking it down will make it less difficult and you will be able to adapt your goals.
“I’m going to subscribe to the goal counter.” While setting a dozen goals for the new year may seem like a daunting task, a tracker can help you keep up with them throughout the year. Shouldpl.sh specializes in achieving yearly goals with 365 days, but if you want a little more flexibility, you have a variety of options .
“I’m going to share my goals publicly.” Even if you don’t have anyone to handle your case 24/7, posting your resolutions on public media can put more pressure on you to make sure you comply . Not only will this help you avoid vague decisions (difficult to register or quantify “being happier”), but you can also use social media or publicly available trackers to look back at your progress throughout the year.