Why New Year's resolutions often fail and how to make them stick

YouGov states that 37% of Britons aged 18 to 24 say they will make resolutions, dropping to 11% for the over-65s. However, it’s one thing to say it, and another to act on it and 25% of those interviewed across the age ranges stated they didn’t keep a single resolution last year.

As the new year approached, you may well have thought about resolutions for the coming year. Perhaps you made them at midnight as you welcomed in January first, with friends at a party, motivated by the moment, and an atmosphere of excitement.

Most resolutions tend to be about career, health, fitness, finance and wealth, personal development, lifestyle, work/life balance, relationships and emotional well-being.

As you reach mid-January, you may think it's too late to make resolutions. Hold on. Did you know that the second Friday of January is known as Quitters Day (9th January in 2026) when the majority abandon their goals? This term was coined by Strava, the social network and fitness app, as a result of collecting and analysing data on user behaviours.

By the end of January, many people find their initial motivation has faded, and only some are still actively working towards their resolutions. How about you? Have you set goals? Do you still want to make goals? Will you sustain them successfully to the end of the year and beyond? Perhaps you are one of those thinking it’s too late for this year? Well, read on, because once "Quitters Day" has passed, it may be the best time to set goals.

Why can it be hard to stick with our goals?

Here are just some of the reasons why it can feel hard to stick to our goals:

• They are made at a moment of heightened excitement and positivity, at New Year's Eve, on the spur of the moment, without thinking them through.
• They are often unrealistic, overwhelming and daunting.
• They don’t fit with your work and lifestyle.
• There is no plan of action or schedule.
• There is no specific start or end date.
• The goals are broad intentions rather than specific and practical, which can be easily measured as to when they’ve been achieved.
• There is a lack of encouragement and support.
• They become forgotten in the business of life.

How can you turn resolutions into achievements?

Here are some tips to help sustain your goals:

Make them in a serious moment

Wait until the festive period has passed and you are back into your more regular routine. Then make your resolutions. They are likely to be more realistic.

Take your lifestyle into account

Consider whether what you want to achieve is a fit with your lifestyle and current commitments. If not, it doesn’t mean giving up on it altogether, but it may mean adjusting what you plan for.

Be specific

Set your goals in specific terms. For example:

• “I want to lose weight” is an intention, not a goal. A goal is “I want to lose 3 kilos by 31st March”
• “I want to save more” is an intention, not a goal, whereas "I will put away £20 a week into a fixed interest savings account” is a goal.
• “I want to take some classes” is a broad intention. “I will sign up for one art class and one Spanish class this term” is a goal.

This way, you can measure whether you have achieved your goals.

Decide on the steps

Each goal will comprise several steps to attain it. List the steps you need to take and place them in order. e.g. To take your chosen class, research availability, decide if in person or online and what fits with your lifestyle and availability, including dates, times and location, which you are more likely to follow through. If online, decide your start date and book. If in person, schedule all the dates of classes into your planner.

Sustaining your resolutions

Don’t allow the pressures and busyness of life to get in the way of what you start and plan for. Ensure you schedule into your diary or planner the times and days you will work on your goals. Keep these appointments with yourself.

Build patterns and routines

Ideally, build routines into your schedule. If you have specific regular times of the day or week to do the administrative tasks and activities for your goals, you are more likely to stay with them.

It becomes part of your body clock, what your mind and body are expecting to do at that given time in the day or week. e.g. administrative tasks 30 minutes a day at 6 pm or once a week on a Saturday at 9 am for one hour; go for a run on Sundays at 9 am. These are examples only, and you will need to work out times that fit with your lifestyle.

Obtain support

If there’s someone you truly trust who genuinely roots for you, share what you hope for with them and seek their encouragement. It may help to ask their perspective, but ultimately, you need to decide for yourself what you want and how you will get there.

A helping hand

If you feel the professional support of a life coach would help you identify realistic yet motivating goals and enable you to keep up that long-term commitment, do get in touch with a coach to find out more.