How’s Your New Year’s Resolution Going?

With the approach of the end of March, it’s time to ask: How’s the New Year’s Resolution going?  

The question may bring out dread or defensiveness for many. Fifty-three percent of resolutions are broken by the end of March, according to a recent Forbes article, meaning this edition of The Phoenix marks the end of most New Year’s goals. 

Such a sharp decrease only three months into the year suggests there are several factors influencing the lifespan of the average resolution. 

Young adults are the largest group to make resolutions, with approximately 49% partaking in the New Year’s tradition. However, this rate peters off as those in the age ranges get older, with the lowest rate of resolution makers in those 50 and older. 

This trend implies a sense of burnout in the resolution-making process. 

It seems plausible; trying something year after year, only to fail each time, doesn’t tend to appeal to many. In fact, studies suggest failure can influence future experience. If someone’s been unsuccessful keeping a resolution, they’re likely to continue to struggle.

Lacking this pattern of success invites anxieties and doubts, while simultaneously making it harder to continue engaging in difficult habit building.

A study from the University College London discusses the changes the body adapts to avoid engaging in a physically challenging behavior, pointing out the brain will process vision differently in order to avoid labor. 

Considering 48% of adults list a fitness goal as their resolution, it’s clear the brain might not be fully engaged in the endeavor. 

New Year’s resolutions can be a powerful tool, whether for setting a meaningful intention for the year or serving as a catalyst for necessary life changes. Losing out on the experience because of ineffective goal setting and past challenges would be unfortunate. 

The way New Year’s resolutions are set needs to change.

In their current form, resolutions are rarely written down, limited in number and often set in a vague panic of socially expected self-improvement at a New Year’s party. 

This trifecta is largely responsible for the 53% of goals lost by March and could be fully avoidable through one change: write a list. 

The nature of a list forces the resolutions to be written down, resolving the first issue. Then, having multiple resolutions makes it easier to enter a pattern of success. If there’s only one or two resolutions, the pressure to complete the specific goal is high, making the letdown if it’s not achieved equally devastating. 

Taking a final with only two questions would be nerve-racking and would end in disaster if even one was wrong. In contrast, missing a problem on a final with twenty questions would still lead to an A. Resolutions are similar; give the year the maximum chances for success. 

The final challenge with resolutions: they tend to be generic. Some are made in those holiday party panic, just to check a box. The list format forces intention into the resolution-making process; goal setters can’t blurt out what feels like the right answer.

Writing a list of resolutions requires introspection and can lead to discovering new paths  throughout the year, which in turn makes it more likely for the goals to be completed. Done right, resolutions can be a revolution for the upcoming year. 

So, save this article for 2027 and start the New Year strong with a paper, a pen and some bullet points.