WE TRADITIONALLY greet the new year to the strains of Auld Lang Syne, and with rash promises of self-improvement, such as giving up alcohol for a month. I’m no different – over the last few years I’ve set myself new year’s resolutions with mixed results. Some, like my oath to visit the gym 100 times over the course of the year, were successful. Others, such as keeping on top of my taxes, were not.
In fact, only 10 per cent of resolutions made in January will survive until December. Why do so many of us struggle to keep promises to ourselves? And can we do better?
“As a species we tend to be biased to overconfidence and optimism,” says at the Centre for Behaviour Change, University College London. “Come January, people tend to tick off all the things they want to do, and as a result try to do too much.”
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So what separates the successful from the rest of us? O’Brien says that setting goals without planning how you will achieve them is a recipe for failure. “If you have a goal for January 1st, you should prepare in advance with smaller changes,” he says, such as removing unhealthy snacks from the house if you want to give up eating junk food.
That’s because willpower is like a muscle, and exercising it can give you a better chance of resisting the temptation to eat that second biscuit.
Research also shows those who prepare for the worst are more successful in the long run. So always have a backup plan – if you know you can’t go to the gym in the morning, schedule an evening workout in advance.
“Only 10 per cent of resolutions made in January will survive until December”
Although people assume big, distant goals will inspire them to put in a lot of effort, the inverse is actually true. Last year and at the University of Chicago published a study on the best predictors for adherence to long-term goals. They found people were more successful at sticking with resolutions when there was an immediate reward involved (Journal of Consumer Research, ).
“People say they exercise for a long-term health goal,” says Woolley, “but it’s not the importance of their health goal that predicts how long they exercise for – it’s whether their workout is fun.” She suggests finding ways to make your new year’s resolution more gratifying if you really want to stick with it.
Another key plank is to break big goals down into smaller, discrete steps. This is popularly known as the SMART goals method – ensuring you are working toward milestones that are specific, measurable, agreed-upon, realistic and time-sensitive.
So instead of resolving to “learn Spanish”, I can reframe it in terms of the SMART criteria: in 2017 I’ll sign up to a language class and practise at least three hours a week, and sit for an official language proficiency certificate by August.
But what about the “agreed-upon” part? O’Brien says that building a support network around yourself can help meet your goals. By making friends and family aware of your resolution, you can increase the chances that you’ll stick to them.
“It takes up to 65 days to break a habit,” says O’Brien, “You need that reinforcing power for that long.” With less than 100 days to go before the deluge of chocolate eggs at Easter, it’s never too soon to start your own self-improvement programme.
This article appeared in print under the headline “Want a new you in 2017? Here’s how”
