Why you’re probably doing your New Year’s resolutions wrong

With a new year comes new beginnings, and December 31st often means making resolutions from the easily doable (like drinking more water) to the more ambitious (like turning that hobby into a business).

The idea of setting New Year’s resolutions might leave you with mixed feelings. But goal setting is a great way to keep you accountable and on track.

However, making resolutions can far too often lead to the opposite effect, turning into a self-destructive cycle where goals are set with good intentions but quickly abandoned. This can all to easily leave you feeling unsatisfied and less motivated.

Here, we look at reasons why your New Year’s resolutions might not be working, and how you can tackle them in a more realistic way.

Resolutions are a great way to drive personal and professional growth. But what happens when you reach your goal only to find you don’t feel any different?

You may, for instance, set out to lose a few kilos. Then, once you have, you could find that you’re still not happy. Or you may decide to change jobs, believing that’s the root of your unhappiness, only to find yourself feeling exactly the same in your new role.

This sensation is known as ‘arrival fallacy’, the false assumption that once you reach a goal, you’ll reach happiness.¹

Research shows these types of things don’t bring us happiness in themselves (at least not in the long term).² This may be because, after the initial feeling of satisfaction, the sense of accomplishment that came with it starts to dwindle, making your goal seem less satisfying than expected.

While dedication to goals and self-improvement is important, it can be a slippery slope when not approached in the right way. And the feeling of dissatisfaction could be a sign that your happiness in life depends on achievements rather than bigger-picture things.

If you get too caught up in trying to achieve your resolutions, you may end up trying to reach a level of perfection that you never can. This can lead to negative self-doubt and disappointment.

So when you’re setting your New Year’s resolutions, it might help to keep in mind that goals are just a starting point for your happiness and rarely a quick-fix solution.

Setting a goal at the end of December doesn’t necessarily make it easier to achieve. In fact, one 2021 study shows that almost two-thirds of participants abandoned their New Year’s resolutions within the first month.³

So, instead of making January 1st your firm ‘resolution date’, you might instead spend the first few weeks of the year figuring out your goals and what you want from them.

For example, you might commit to an exercise regime that you’ll pick up in March, once the summer festivities have finished.

It’s a common tale. You set a goal that’s too big or too broad and try to do it all at once. And then (of course) you fail to reach the goal.

It’s important to make your New Year’s resolutions clear and specific. Knowing exactly what you want (and how you’re going to get it) can help you to venture out on the right path and not get lost along the way.

More than 1,000 studies have consistently demonstrated this, showing that setting specific goals can lead to increased performance, persistence and motivation.⁴

If goals are too challenging, or you attempt too many at once, they often disrupt the bigger picture or take focus away from short-term wins (which help keep you motivated).

So, remember to dream big but plan small. It’s the journey that gets you to your destination.