Why New Year’s Resolutions Fail
It will soon be the beginning of a New Year. At the end of the year, it is natural to reflect on the past year and consider the coming year.
We often decide to change our lives and make New Year’s resolutions to establish new habits. However, these resolutions almost always fail.
They fail because we often start with too high an aspiration. For example, we might say, “I want to run 5 miles a day” or “I want to read a book a week.”
The Flaw in “Go Big or Go Home” Thinking
The oft-heard saying, ‘Go big or Go home,’ doesn’t work very well in changing our behavior. In reality, we need to do the opposite. Take the behavior we want and scale it down to tiny in the beginning.
BJ Fogg has studied the process of establishing new habits for years. In his book, Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything, he wrote, “Over the last twenty years, I’ve found that the only consistent, sustainable way to grow big is to start small.”
Start Tiny: The Power of Scaling Down
For example, if we try to start with the goal of running 5 miles every day, that likely won’t last very long. If we’re out of shape, we might be forced to quit within the first mile and fail to reach our goal. We’ll likely give up at that point and not even try a second time.
However, if we start by setting a goal of running for one minute, we can establish a habit. We show up where we plan to run and complete one minute. We feel good about meeting our goal, which makes it easier to show up the next day.
We can choose to do more than that one minute at any time, and we likely will. As our success builds, we’re motivated to continue adding more distance. Instead of starting too big with a 5-mile goal, starting with a one-minute goal is much more effective.
Instead of setting a goal of reading one book a week, try reading one page a day. This is achievable and will build momentum for reading more.
As B.J. Fogg says, “If you want a habit to grow big, you need to start small and simple. Once the habit wires in, you can grow it naturally.” Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything.
Rethink Your New Year’s Strategy
If you set New Year’s resolutions this year, give yourself permission to start small.
Forget the pressure of grand resolutions and focus on tiny, consistent steps toward meaningful change. The path to success isn’t paved with big goals—it’s built on small, achievable wins.
To reach your goals, try these steps:
1. Identify your overarching goal.
2. Break it into the smallest, simplest possible action.
3. Gradually build it over time as you build motivation and habits.