Stop Setting New Year’s Resolutions
They Don’t Work — Do This Instead
You have probably heard that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.
How many times have you set New Year’s resolutions and already failed by March? If this is you, please understand you are in the same boat as over 50% of people who set New Year’s resolutions.
I am not anti-goals by any means, I simply find that that New Year’s resolutions are ineffective. This article will dive into why to quit doing New Year’s Resolutions and what I would recommend instead.
Why New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Work for Most of Us
First, January 1st is the absolute worst time to start a new goal.
In order to properly understand this, let’s consider where we are at psychologically on January 1st. We have just enjoyed Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. All three holidays are full of candy, sweets, lack of routine, and staying up late.
People often get excited by New Year’s resolutions because they feel this is their chance to get back on track. There is nothing wrong with motivation, we should set some goals when we feel it, but that excitement can often cause a sneaky problem. Knowing that we get a fresh start in January often gives us the excuse to let ourselves go.
We subconsciously decide we’ll try again next year. We should have some fun and relax while we wait for the new year to start. To be clear, I am not advocating for not enjoying the Holidays. On the contrary, I believe we have the most joy in living as our best selves. And we can be our best selves by eating some sweets now and then. But giving up on all our ambitions for 2–3 months is a great way to lose all progress we may have made in the previous 9–10 months of the year.
This strategy ensures we are always exactly in the same place on January 1st as we were the year before.
We are capable of more.
Outside of the lack of ambition New Year’s resolutions allow us to have through the Holidays, January is a rough time to try and start a new sustainable routine. Who wants to wake up at 5:30 AM to go to the gym on New Year’s Day after staying up until midnight? You have zero momentum, and your environment is fighting against you. That means you will have to rely on willpower for this goal.
Willpower is not a sustainable way to bring about change in your life.
Benjamin Hardy, PhD wrote a great book about this. I reviewed his book in this article:
There is one final reason why New Year resolutions are ineffective
What you want today will be different than what you want in 6 months or even 3 months from now.
Think about it. Have you ever pulled out your journal during the holidays to remind yourself of goals from January 1st that year, only to realize you no longer wanted to work on that habit or routine?
As humans, we drastically underestimate the change we go through in our lives, year to year, month to month, and even week to week.
Our environment changes, and even our desires and wants change.
12 months is too long of a time frame for most goals
Because of these reasons, it is time to consider choosing a different approach to goals.
What to do instead
Thankfully, there is a better way to accomplish change in your life.
Shorten goals to 3 or 6 months.
I am a huge fan of 6-month goals, but you may find 3-month goals work even better. Because of the reasons mentioned above, I set 6-month goals to go from October 1st to April 1st and April 1st to October 1st each year. Doing so helps me get through the Holidays without having the excuse to be able to “reset” in January to get a fresh start.
I find these time frames for goals are much more tangible for me. This time next year seems so far away, but three months away appears to be fast approaching, and I feel a healthy sense of urgency to accomplish my goal before then.
Focus on Consistency
If your goals are habit-oriented, remember to focus on consistency, not perfection. I deep dive into that topic in the article linked below in case you want to learn more on the topic:
Personal Invitation: Set Goals Now
Rather than waiting to set goals on January 1st, set some goals now that will take you either to January 1st or next spring.
There is no reason why you can’t live your best self through the Holidays.
Take time to journal what you want from your life and make the changes to your environment to make that happen.
I believe in you!
Here’s to accomplishing our goals!
Thanks for reading! I am passionate about helping young professionals accomplish as much as possible with their lives. The future of this world is in great hands. Please follow me here on Medium for more messages every weekday. — Alma Thurber