The Good and Bad of New Year’s Resolutions

January 1st – A traditional time to reflect on the year gone by, take stock of the positives and negatives in
one’s life, and chart a new course towards eliminating bad habits and creating good ones. Historically,
New Year’s resolutions are targeted towards improving physical health (better diet, eating less, exercise,
quitting tobacco, drinking less), or fiscal health (spending less, saving more, finding a new job). Of
course, resolutions are always made with the best of intentions. Yet if done wrong, they can do more
harm than good.

How Can New Year’s Resolutions Be Bad?

Consider the fact that at the end of 30 days, only 25% of those who have made a resolution are still
sticking with it, and that only 8% of these commitments are followed through to completion. COVID-19
complicates our intended life improvements by restricting social gatherings, freezing gym memberships,
job loss, etc. Cold-weather Minnesotans are further challenged by factors that include frigid
temperatures, darkness, our inability to be active outdoors for prolonged periods of time, vitamin D
deficiencies, and a lack of fresh produce.

For the vast majority then, resolutions result in no real, lasting improvements. No weight loss, no diet
improvements, no elimination of bad habits, no reduction of debt, and no increase in savings accounts.
In the early days of a resolution, one might be burdened with a sense of pressure or obligation. As one’s
commitment to a resolution slips, one might suspect that the goals were too ambitious, the
expectations too high, or the methods for achieving one’s resolutions were unclear. Upon the
abandonment of the resolution, the original sense of purpose and hope are gone – replaced with guilt,
and disappointment. None of this means that resolutions are inherently bad, but it does suggest a need
to rethink the ways we go about our New Year’s commitments for self-improvement.

Five Keys to Successful New Year’s Resolutions

If nothing else, resolutions should be reasonably achievable. Most resolutions fail because the objectives
are too big, methods are ill defined, progress is difficult to track, changes are too disruptive, and there is
no near-term reward for incremental progress. Following these five keys to success will overcome the
causes for most failures and significantly increase the chances of meeting the goals, resulting in lasting,
significant life improvements:

• Make objectives Incremental – Too often, resolutions begin with monolithic goals that are
  terribly daunting. Goals such as “losing weight” often begin with disruptive, imposing changes
  such as crash diets or exercise regimens that are way too demanding right out of the gate. As a
  result, they’re too often abandoned before they’ve achieved any results. Significant goals need
  to be broken into smaller, incremental steps that collectively achieve the main objective, such as
  gradual improvements in diet (e.g. week 1: keeping sliced carrots and celery in the fridge for
  snacks. Week 2: eliminate late night snacks) along with incremental increases in exercise (e.g.
  week 1: start a 30 minute run-walk four times a week. Subsequent weeks – more running and
  less walking in the 30 minute workout).
• Strive for ‘habitual’ rather than ‘episodic’ milestones – Episodic milestones (e.g. losing 20
  pounds) by their very nature come to an end, either by meeting or abandoning the objective.
  Either way, the outcome has only a short term benefit unless the activities used to achieve the
  goal are turned into positive habits that become part of daily routines. The focus should be less
  on achieving a specific weight loss, and more on building and maintaining positive habits.
  Developing the habit of exercising 30 minutes every day has more lasting benefit than achieving
  a 10-mile run.
• Track Results – Tracking helps one to stay on task towards developing habits, by providing the
  motivation to move resolutions forward. Keeping a journal, adding tasks into a daily planner,
  and maintaining a record of successes along the way all help to develop long term benefits from
  resolution pursuits.
• Celebrate successes – the achievement of milestones towards the overall resolution goals need
  to be celebrated. The efforts and commitment should be rewarded. Even a small token reward
  (e.g. a small chocolate treat after 30 minutes of exercise) helps to frame the work and time
  spent as a positive event.
• Wait until spring – Not to promote procrastination, but springtime may be a better time to
  pursue resolutions. The weather will certainly be warmer, offering more opportunities for
  socialization and exercise. Hopefully by spring we’ll find ourselves on the tail end of the health
  and financial troubles brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

We all strive for self-improvement in our own ways, and for many of us, New Year’s resolutions are a
traditional opportunity for reflection and action towards a better life. By breaking monolithic goals into
actionable steps, by focusing on building good, sustainable habits, by measuring results and rewarding
ourselves along the way, we can buck the trend of failed resolutions and achieve lasting benefit from
our efforts, through 2021 and beyond.

If you find that building self-esteem, fighting addiction, minimizing anxiety or addressing depression are
a part of your New Year’s goals, we can help. Therapy offers a safe place to unwind, identify your
needs, and develop the game plan towards a better future. Let us help!