Most resolutions collapse by February. Here's the system high performers use instead

"We want to eat better. Move more. Make more money. Finally get control of our time. We're taking advantage of the Fresh Start Effect, a principle rooted in the idea that people often view new beginnings as an opportunity to distance themselves from past failures and shortcomings. This can lead to a psychological reset, where we experience a renewed sense of optimism, self-efficacy, and motivation, common around the New Year."

"As a culture, New Year's resolutions are tests of your personal discipline. If you stick with them, you're committed. If you don't, you "fell off the wagon." Cue the familiar guilt/shame spiral. But new behavioral research suggests something very different. A 2025 multi-country study examining goal persistence found that the strongest predictor of whether someone follows through on a resolution isn't willpower, discipline, or even how specific the goal is."

Millions set New Year's resolutions leveraging the Fresh Start Effect and experience renewed optimism, self-efficacy, and motivation at temporal landmarks. That motivation often evaporates by February, not because people do not care but because resolution formats are fundamentally flawed. Cultural framing treats resolutions as tests of personal discipline and produces guilt and shame when people falter. A 2025 multi-country study of goal persistence found intrinsic motivation — whether the behavior itself feels personally meaningful and rewarding — is the strongest predictor of follow-through, not willpower or goal specificity. Rigid, outcome-focused annual goals frequently collapse because they fail to fit into daily life; aligning goals with values and routines improves persistence.

Read at Fast Company