Why Are Resolutions So Easy to Break?

Most of us break our New Years resolutions — and researchers have found a few reasons why. Learn how to build a better resolution with this episode of BrainStuff.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to brain stuff from How Stuff Works. Hey, They're
brain stuff Lauren Vogel bomb here. Thirty percent of us
who make New Year's resolutions break them by the end
of January, and beyond that, only of everyone who makes
a resolution will see it through to completion. Are you
part of to make resolutions only to find you've given

(00:23):
up before you ever really got started. Let's break down
how that happens. One of the most common reasons we
break our New Year's resolutions is that we get a
little overzealous when we make them. Basically, we overcommit by
making too many resolutions, and as a result, forty percent
of us wind up blaming our busy schedules for our
lack of follow through. Research shows that it's easier to

(00:43):
keep just one resolution than several. Another part of the
problem is that we often make the wrong resolution, or
more than one wrong resolution is the case, Maybe the
key to successful goal making is to not be hasty
when you do it. Make resolutions that you've thought through
and are willing to dedicate your time and enter. G two.
Don't make a resolution on the fly after too many
toasts at a New Year's party. If you're not committed

(01:05):
to your goal. The odds of staying motivated are not
in your favor, but hey, who are we kidding? It
can be difficult to stay motivated even when you've chosen
a single, well reasoned goal. Many of us lack motivation
and accountability despite our best intentions. Remove one easy way
out by sharing your plans with family and friends. The
more who know your goal, the less likely you'll be
to talk yourself out of sticking with your new habits.

(01:26):
And despite what you might have heard, it can take
longer than just twenty one days for a lot of
us to change a habit. One so that he found
it took anywhere between eighteen and two hundred and forty
five days. Sharing your goals with those close to you
not only adds accountability, which many of us need to
motivate ourselves, but also gives you a support system. In
the end, whether or not we keep our New Year's
resolutions comes down to whether or not we give ourselves

(01:47):
a resolution. We can stick to resolutions that are small
in scope and involves specific and realistic goals, help, especially
for those of us who make goals like get in shape,
which is frequently the most made resolution in America. Without
then planning how will go about achieving that goal. We
need to be more specific and realistic with ourselves, give
ourselves deadlines and track our progress. Yes, promising yourself that

(02:08):
this is the year you'll lose weight is a great goal,
but how will you do it? More than thirty percent
of us who make this new year's resolution break it.
If you want to stack the odds, define what your
specific weight loss goals are and give yourself a deadline
within which to meet those goals. Make the goal reasonable
enough that you're not intimidated by it, and the deadline
realistic too. Resolved to lose ten pounds by Memorial Day

(02:29):
and keep yourself honest with weekly progress reports. If you
want to get in shape, make it your resolution to,
for instance, always take the stairs. It's a good start.
Keep a journal of your progress, the good and the bad,
including those days when you took the elevator because you
were running late. To help keep yourself focused and on task,
digital tracking devices can help, but only if you actually
sit down and look at all that data they collect.

(02:50):
Progress reports are a good way to keep yourself motivated
and moving in the right direction towards your goal without them,
and sometimes despite them, we can become discouraged, and when
we're discouraged, we tend to give up on the goal.
But hey, a bit of good news. Our researchers have
found that a few days off from time to time
doesn't have much, if any effect on overall success. Instead
of giving up on your goal when you have a setback,

(03:11):
take things one day at a time. Researchers are also
examining a phenomenon called decision fatigue that plays a part
in how likely we are to keep resolutions. The more decisions,
even small ones, that you have to make in a day,
including deciding to go for a walk or run, selecting
healthy foods, and putting away cash for a rainy day,
the more depleted your willpower and self control will be
as the day wears on. So think about how you

(03:32):
can incorporate small steps to your goal in your daily
life so they'll be automatic and require little or no
decision effort. Making tough decisions related to your resolution early
in the day, for example, get your workout in earlier,
pay bills and handle finances before you leave work could
help and share a successful outcome. Today's episode was written

(03:53):
by Maria Tremarchi and produced by Tristan McNeil. By the way,
if you're listening on the day this publishes Happy New Year,
and of course, for lots more on this and other
psychological topics, visit our home planet, how Stuff Works dot
com m HM