Are you feeling sceptical about making new year’s resolutions this year? Try this instead.
As a new year begins, many of us feel a familiar pull toward change. January carries a sense of possibility: This is the year I’ll feel healthier, calmer, more balanced, more like myself.
And yet, by February, many new year’s resolutions have quietly slipped away. Research consistently shows that most resolutions don’t last beyond six weeks. This can feel discouraging but it’s also deeply reassuring.
Because the problem usually isn’t a lack of discipline or motivation.
It’s that we ask our brains to change in ways they’re not designed to sustain.
Psychology tells us that behaviour change works best when it’s specific, realistic, and planned for real life. With that in mind, here are the 3 biggest reasons new year’s resolutions fail and what to do differently this year.
1. Trying to Change Too Much, Too Fast
One of the biggest traps is setting too many goals at once. When motivation is high, it’s tempting to overhaul everything like your health, work, relationships, habits, routines, all in January!
But change requires attention and energy, and both are limited.
When we spread our efforts across too many goals, we increase the chance that none of them stick. Even highly motivated people struggle to maintain multiple new habits at the same time.
What works better:
Choose one meaningful goal or at most two closely related ones. Ask yourself:
- Which change would make the biggest positive difference to my wellbeing?
- If only one thing improved this year, what would I want it to be?
Once a habit becomes more automatic, it requires less effort and that’s when you can layer something new on top.
Sustainable change is built sequentially, not all at once.
2. Setting Goals That Are Too Vague or Unrealistic
“Get fitter.”
“Work less.”
“Be less stressed.”
These new year’s resolutions sound good, but they don’t give your brain enough direction to act on them. When goals are vague, it’s hard to know whether you’re succeeding and easy to feel like you’re failing.
Unrealistic goals can be just as problematic. If a goal feels overwhelming or incompatible with your current life, motivation drops quickly.
What works better:
Make goals clear, specific, and achievable.
For example:
- “Get fitter” → Attend two exercise classes per week
- “Work less” → Leave work by 6pm 3 nights per week
- “Be less stressed” → Schedule one hour of “me-time” each weekend
Specific goals give your brain something concrete to aim for and something concrete to feel good about when you follow through.
3. Not Planning for Real Life and Predictable Setbacks
Most new year’s resolutions fail not because people don’t care, but because life happens.
Busy weeks, low-energy days, competing demands, and unexpected disruptions are inevitable. When new year’s resolutions haven’t been designed with real life in mind, even small obstacles can derail them.
What works better:
Before you begin, ask:
- What might get in the way of this goal?
- When has this been hardest in the past?
- What’s my plan if I miss a day, a week, or lose motivation?
Planning for setbacks doesn’t mean expecting failure. Rather it means building resilience and momentum to keep going when things go off-track. Research shows that people who recover quickly from setbacks are far more likely to succeed long-term than those who aim for perfection.
A Kinder Way Forward
Lasting change isn’t about willpower, it’s about alignment. When new year’s resolutions are realistic, meaningful, and supported by planning, they’re far more likely to stick.
As you move into 2026, consider choosing fewer goals, making them clearer, and designing them for the life you actually live. Here’s to a new year built on progress, not pressure.
If you need some help setting up your new year’s resolutions, make an appointment with one of our experienced senior Psychologist.