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10 Tips to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

quitter's day

In December, you plotted. You reflected on your goals and chose only the most pressing to turn into a New Year’s Resolution. You researched goal-setting structures and made sure to make goals that were specific and measurable. You found an accountability buddy. You felt ready. 

Now, we’re halfway through January and you might be thinking. . . It’s not that big of a deal if I quit, right? 

The second Friday of January is known as Quitter’s Day, because it is the day around 80% of people will give up on their New Year’s Resolutions. Only 9% will make it to the end of the year with their resolutions still intact. 

This year, Quitter’s Day is January 10th, 2025. We’re here to make sure you don’t fall victim to Quitter’s Day and fulfill your New Year’s Resolution this year.

What Is Quitter’s Day?

Quitter’s Day is the second Friday of January and is the day many people will give up on their New Year’s Resolutions. People give up on their New Year’s Resolutions because they are too ambitious, time-consuming, or unplanned. The motivation they had in the previous year and at the beginning of this year has waned and they find it difficult to continue.  

Why Do New Year's Resolutions Fail?

Most people will fail their New Year’s Resolutions, but why? Goal setting is hard, and following through with goals is even harder. To make matters more difficult, many people choose overly ambitious goals and don’t do enough to prepare for the year ahead. January comes and they are overwhelmed, tired, and disheartened. 

New Year’s Resolutions fail most because:

  • The goal was too big: We reached too high! The idea of “turning your life around” is appealing, but expecting to upend all your bad habits and replace them with good ones at the same time is unrealistic even for the best of us. Experts recommend starting with one habit at a time, and building up from there. Remember, you can start goals in June, too!
  • We aren’t that motivated to change: Why did you choose the New Year’s Resolution that you did? Was it because you wanted to, or because you felt like you should? You are likely to fail if you only choose goals that meet a societal or familial expectation because you don't have the intrinsic motivation to follow through.
  • We underestimate how hard it’s going to be: Going against your habits is hard. Forming new habits is hard, especially when those new habits are likely out of your comfort zone. We might have the best intentions when the New Year starts, but if we’re not prepared to push through discomfort, we might be calling it quits by the second Friday. 

Pursuing healthy goals is great for your mental health, but beating yourself up over failed goals will do nothing but worsen it. There’s no shame in failing a New Year’s Resolution, starting over, or taking a break. A common pitfall of many people who make resolutions is “all-or-nothing thinking”. All-or-nothing thinking is a cognitive distortion in which we think in extremes: you either fail or you succeed. If you fail once, you should just stop trying altogether. 

Let’s say you do fail this Friday. You don’t go to the gym, or you skip out on your daily meditation. You could quit right there and say “Well, I’ll try again next year.” Or, you could try again on Saturday or Monday. You could take a week off and try again in February. You could readjust your goals and start all over again. 

Humans have this obsession with fresh starts—“I’ll start on a Monday”, “I’m going to turn my whole life around”, and “This year I’ll change”—but change happens slowly. It happens one habit at a time, and it happens with backslides and dead ends regardless. A failure is not a sign you should stop chasing your goals. In fact, it’s a sign you should try again. 

How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

At this point, you probably know about SMART goals. The best goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Even if you have a perfectly constructed goal, achieving goals is hard! What do you do when your motivation wanes? Here are seven tips: 

  1. Reconsider your goals: Did you choose too lofty of a goal? Were your motivations misaligned? If so, how can you rewrite your goal to make it more manageable? Remember that some progress is better than none; if it comes between quitting and going for a smaller goal, choose the smaller goal. 
  2. Get a support system behind you, but not too big: Having someone in your corner can be helpful on the bad days when motivation is waning, but telling too many people can invoke a false sense of reward, science shows. When we broadcast our goal to a lot of people, especially people we think we’re better than, our brains behave as if we already have the reward. 
  3. Trim your resolutions: Focus on one goal at a time. If you are panicking about your goals this Friday, cut some of them out. Once you reach one goal, you can add back your other goals. 
  4. Make a detailed plan: If you haven’t already, now is the time to make a detailed, time-bound plan. What are the milestones of your goal and when do you want to accomplish them? What are the smaller steps necessary to get there? 
  5. Try something new: If you’re getting frustrated, try a different approach. If you don’t think something is going to work, now is the time to switch gears. For example, if your goal was to go to the gym, but you hate the gym, try an exercise class. If you want to work on your mental health but talk therapy isn’t working, sign up for a group class or ask to switch therapists. 
  6. Remember why you’re doing this: All of your goals should have a really strong why. That is what is going to push you through difficult days like Quitter’s day. 
  7. Adapt daily: If your daily schedule is out of wack, learn to adapt. Just because you can’t accomplish your goal exactly in the way you want, doesn’t mean it’s a failure. Adapt by doing a workout at home, for example. 

Remember that you have worth whether or not you succeed in your goals. These resolutions should help become the person you want to be; any step in that direction is a good one. 

If you want help this January with your resolutions, therapy can help. To talk with a therapist near you, contact our team or browse our list of licensed, affordable therapists.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Quitter’s Day is the common term used to describe the day when many individuals are more likely to abandon their New Year’s resolutions. It is the second Friday of January. This year it is January 10th, 2025. It is often viewed as a turning point where the initial enthusiasm for resolutions may start to wane, leading many people to discontinue their commitment to their goals.

In 2025, Quitter’s Day falls on January 10th. This date serves as a reminder for many individuals to reflect on their New Year’s resolutions and assess their progress, identifying any challenges or barriers that may be impacting their ability to maintain their goals.

There are several reasons why individuals may struggle to uphold their New Year’s resolutions, leading to the phenomenon of Quitter’s Day. People often face obstacles such as setting unrealistic goals, lacking a clear plan, feeling unsupported, pursuing resolutions out of obligation, fearing failure, or not addressing underlying emotional or psychological needs. It's important to understand that setbacks are normal, and with the right support and strategies, it is possible to overcome these challenges and continue working towards positive change.

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