Who's Keep Them Anyway?: A Discussion on New Year's Resolutions

Well, here we are already in mid-January. Who’s still on track with their New Year’s Resolution(s)? Are you even partaking in New Year’s Resolutions this year?

If you are partaking in New Year’s Resolutions, most likely they may include to eat healthier, lose weight, save more money and/or focus on self-care. If any of those made your list, you can thank the international market research firm YouGov for feeling exposed. In fact, the four aforementioned are the top four New Year’s Resolutions for 2018, according to their data analytics. Below is a visual representation of all the goals, compiled graphically by StatistaCharts.

But how likely are we to keep our goals? One research paper came to the conclusion that there is some success. According to a published paper in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, 77% of partakers in New Year’s Resolutions kept the resolutions for one week. After a month, 64% were still at them successfully, and after three months, make that 50%. Half-way through the year, 46% were still going strong with their New Year’s Resolution(s). [It should be noted that the resolvers were planning on making New Year’s Resolutions on their own accord, rather than being forced/paid to for the sake of the study.]

In the end, “Self-efficacy, skills to change, and readiness to change assessed before January 1 all predicted positive outcome for resolvers.” And though published in 2002, the study highlighted that those who were successful with their New Year’s Resolutions employed more cognitive-behavioral processes, such as avoiding temptations. So if you are still going strong with your New Year’s resolutions, congratulations on avoiding the never-ending break room snacks!

However, if you are feeling behind or stressed out with continuing your New Year’s resolutions,  keep in mind that it takes approximately a month to form a new habit into your routine (though the studies are still out on specifically how long). So if you are needing some inspiration on how to stick to resolutions/goals, check out some tips below, brought to you by The New York Times:

• Make certain your goal is realistic. Some ideas to keep in mind include specificity, measurability, and relevancy.
• Develop a strategy. Break down step-by-step or even day-by-day of how you will achieve your goal.
• Know you will get through hurdles. You’re in this for the long haul, so don’t let one bad day or week or even month make you feel like you have failed. Tomorrow is always a fresh start!
• Phone a friend! You don’t have to do this alone. Having a supportive friend to talk to about struggles you are going through have proven to help. Bonus points if you have a comrade accomplish the same resolution as you.

What are some thoughts that went through your mind as you read this blog post? Join the conversation!  Comment on your New Year’s Resolution(s) and your experience (current and past).