Why New Year Resolutions Don’t Work!

Start your January off right with positive habits to help you reach your goals! As the new year rolls in, many of us start to put together our good intentions and plan our New Year’s resolutions. However, we all know that by February many of us have returned to old habits or found keeping positive routines difficult with the realities of your busy life. So, if goal-setting itself isn’t the problem, then what is? The answer lies in your execution and the habits you create along the way to reach your goal.

Why Many New Year’s Resolutions Fail

New Year’s resolutions often focus on grand outcomes—losing weight, quitting smoking, or saving money. While these goals are meaningful, the issue arises when we neglect the steps needed to achieve them, or the goal itself is too vague. Losing weight, for example—how much weight, by when, and what does “losing weight” even mean to you? Is it about the number on the scale, fitting into a smaller dress size, or just eating more vegetables each week? See how unclear “losing weight” actually is? You think you lack action but you actually lack clarity! Without a solid plan and actionable steps, even the most ambitious resolutions can quickly become overwhelming or seem unattainable. So how do we do this? 

Understanding what your ‘Perfect Life’ could look like

Firstly, have a think about what your ‘perfect life’ would look like. Now I know no-one has such a thing, but for the sake of this exercise, have a think about what this would look like in relation to the environment that you live in (your home, neighbourhood), health (mental and physical), career, relationships (friends and family) and your spirituality (or emotions and fulfilment). 

Now, you might find this a little challenging, and that's normal. We have a negatively biased brain and often focus on the downsides first. So let's start with that… Write down what you DON’T want in all of these areas (there may be more than one thing for each area of your life), for example:

Relationships: I don’t want to hang around that toxic friend anymore
Health: I don't want to feel uncomfortable in my clothes anymore
Career: I’m fed up of working late nights and weekends to keep on top of everything

Now that you know what you don’t want, let's think about what you DO want. Let's do the exercise again. Write down all 5 areas of your life as listed below. For each area, write down one clear and meaningful goal. Make it specific, actionable and most importantly, connected to your ‘why.’

Health: I want to lose 5 kg by April so that I feel comfortable in my summer clothes again.
Career: I want to finally leave my job and do what I love, which is working with children.
Spirituality: I want to pick up my hobby of horse riding once a week, as it makes me feel good.
Environment: I want to finally move to my home town in Berkshire where there is more nature around me and I can have space for a dog again!
Relationships: I want to spend time with people that make me feel good. I’d like to hang out with my friends at least once every fortnight and have a friend date at the cinema.

Take a step back and read all of those goals. How do you feel reading them? Imagine they were all true now - how would that feel? Pretty good, right?!

Holding ourselves accountable to these goals and setting positive habits

There is no point in having a goal if we're not holding ourselves accountable to these goals. So, when do you want to achieve these goals? Next to each one, write your desired time frame—whether it’s 3, 6, 9, or 12 months. It’s starting to come together now! However, we still haven't got our execution plan ready, which is what will help us reach our goals. This is the most important part. Next to each goal, write down what you will specifically do to help you reach this goal. It needs to include days, times and a due date in order to start them.

Let’s look at this goal: Health: I want to lose weight.

Let’s write an example execution and positive habit plan of how you are going to reach this goal: 

• I plan to go to the gym on Tuesday and Thursday at lunchtime for 45 minutes (doing a mixture of cardio and weights) and aim for a 30 minute brisk walk on the weekend. I will pack my gym kit in my bag the night before so that I don’t forget it.
• I will bring my leftover dinners in to have at lunch the next day. This will ensure I eat a healthy and filling meal so that I am not snacking.
• I am going to listen to a nutrition and health podcast at least once a week to help reinforce my new habits around eating well to help me lose weight
• I am going to start this new habit tomorrow!

What may sabotage us from reaching our goals?

So now that you have your habits and execution plan it's a good idea to understand what triggers might get in the way and stop you from carrying out your new positive habits.

Identify and eradicate your triggers:

• Not doing a food shop means I will grab a snack or skip lunch altogether
• I never get time to exercise as my clothes are always in the wash
• I don’t ask for help at home so I don’t have time to focus on my job search
• I start to snack when I feel anxious or sad
• I do all the housework and chores, so I have no free time for myself
• Being around my grumpy father causes me too much stress

 Now that you know the negative triggers, it's time to think of a way to mitigate this trigger and stop it from hindering your new positive habits and execution plan and ultimately stopping you from reaching your goals!

How to Stick to New Year Resolutions and Achieve 2025 Goals

Execution involves the daily habits and behaviours that lead to change. It’s about creating routines that work with your life. Here are 8 top tips to help you hack your 2025 resolutions:

1. Start small

Commit to 7 or 14 days of trying to stick to your goal. Long-term goals are VERY hard to stick to as they feel too far in the future. Psychologically you will also feed your reward centre, because when you do hit day 7 you can feel proud of yourself for sticking it out this long.

2. Limit the number of goals

You really should have no more than 1 or 2. Any more and it will feel like it’s all “too hard” and you’ll throw the towel in on all goals. By having just 1 or 2 to focus on, the task already seems easier.

3. Get a buddy!

Rope in a friend, colleague or family member who wants to achieve a similar goal. It makes it more fun, creates accountability and will help you stay motivated. They’ll be just as grateful for your support too.

4. Now this one is important - replace, not eliminate

Our brains are wired to constantly reward ourselves and depriving it of what it wants is why so many goals fail. So, approach your goal as a transition or replacement instead. For example, you want to limit your coffee intake to one per day. Instead of going from multiple “rewards” throughout the day, have your one coffee and then replace the others with something else you enjoy - it could be another (caffeine free) beverage, or perhaps it’s simply leaving the office for 10 minutes anyway. That way you still feel like you have some joy, but are also sticking to your goal.

5. Seek out positive reinforcement

Surround yourself with people whose goal is the same as yours. Follow them on social media, listen to audiobooks or podcasts, if there’s a club or community - join it! Similar to finding a buddy, listening to others talk with passion about your goal will only help you more. Oh, and don’t forget to unfollow negative social media accounts - you don’t need that energy in your life!

6. Set reminders

Use alarms, apps, post-it notes, journaling, your partner - anyone or anything to help you through each day. For example, if you’re trying to drink more water each day, set a frequent reminder to get a fresh glass of water. Before you know it you’ve had 8 or 10 glasses!

7. Identify and remove obstacles

If you want to eat healthier, dedicate time on Sunday afternoon to go food shopping and meal prep for the week. Want to increase your greens? Set up a juice subscription with PRESS so that your fridge is always stocked with fresh, ready-to-go goodness.

8. Be imperfect

It’s okay if you don’t hit your goal everyday - there’s always tomorrow. Don’t give up immediately. Long term change takes just that - a LONG time. If you do have a bad day, acknowledge what went wrong and then move on. Go back to tip #1 - start small.

Making Resolutions Stick

In summary, while goal-setting is an essential part of personal growth, it is the execution of those goals that truly matters. Embrace positive habits, focus on the process, and watch as you start to create lasting change in your life this January! Let’s make this year the most transformative yet!

Written by Nutritional Therapist Kelly Mulhall of The Natural Balance.