Don't fall victim to 'Quitter's Day' today – here's how to keep your goals on track
Today is ‘Quitter’s Day’, which falls on the second Friday of January each year and marks the moment when almost a quarter of us give up on our new year’s resolutions. This phenomenon is tied to the ‘fresh-start effect’, a psychological inclination that sees people feel motivated to pursue positive changes after significant temporal landmarks, such as the new year or a major birthday. These milestones help individuals to reset themselves mentally, break from past habits and envision an aspirational future.
Why, despite such zeal, do so many of us find ourselves abandoning our goals by mid-January? This failure can partly be attributed to false-hope syndrome, whereby overconfidence leads us to set unrealistic goals that result in frustration and eventual disappointment. External pressures, emotional or financial limitations, and shifting priorities (usually forcing us to concentrate on demands that require immediate attention) can also contribute.
Here are eight of my strategies for setting realistic resolutions, maintaining them and overcoming the challenges of Quitter’s Day…
1/ Create your own definition of success
Define personal standards rather than adhering to those set by others. Understanding what success and balance mean to you is crucial for making decisions and forming healthy boundaries. For instance, personalise your fitness goals or concept of a work-life balance based on your own preferences.
2/ Set yourself up to win
Align your habits with your natural rhythms instead of forcing yourself into routines that do not suit you, such as waking up at 5am just because it seems productive. Reconnect with your body’s cycle to start your day feeling refreshed and prepared. I also recommend pairing things you don’t want to do with ones you enjoy: for example, I watch reality television in the gym; consequently, I go to the gym far more often.
3/ Don’t feel at the mercy of an over-ambitious vision board
Goal-setting techniques can be engaging and motivating, but they also generate a ‘pass or fail’ narrative. Instead, focus on a micro vision board of your ‘daily dos’: things that you want to do every day to feel good, whether that’s finding the time for a walk, listening to a podcast for 30 minutes, reading a book or writing a letter to a friend. The repetitive nature of positive daily rituals that enhance your mood will ladder back up to the larger goals.
4/ Commitment does not have to be absolute
When assessing your progress partway through January, bear in mind that the goal is not necessarily to succeed every time, but rather to succeed more times than you fail. In order to create momentum with your well-intended new habits, think about each conscious action you are making as one piece of the jigsaw puzzle. Don’t discard the entire thing just because you’re struggling to make one piece fit; you can come back and try again the next day.
5/ If you’re finding the size of the commitment challenging, try halving it
If you wanted to go to the gym six times a week, reset the goal to three times instead; you can always build the days back up. Focus on your energy levels across four domains: physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. Recognise when you are most energised for specific tasks, which can help in not feeling overwhelmed and preserve your productivity. Consider what you can realistically manage and allow yourself to slow down if needed.
6/ Focus on impact, not input
Contemporary work culture often equates business with productivity. Contrary to this belief, true productivity focuses on impactful results rather than sheer input volume. Shift your mindset to prioritise what’s truly needed and identify ways to achieve effective outcomes with less stress.
7/ Make someone else’s day
Engage in acts of kindness, such as giving compliments or buying someone else a coffee. Such gestures can boost your mood thanks to the ‘helper’s high’, enhancing your day and putting you in a better frame of mind to focus on your own goals.
8/ Protect your environment
Establish and maintain systems that support your goals continually. Like a well-kept fish tank, your surroundings require regular effort to sustain the beneficial effects of the systems you put in place.
By incorporating these practices, you can transform the usually difficult journey of maintaining new year’s resolutions into a constructive pathway towards lasting positive change. Recognise that each person’s path is unique, and success is found in crafting personalised, smarter systems and processes to enable you to reach your goals, as defined and nurtured by you. Here’s to a smarter 2025.
Emily M Austen is the author of ‘Smarter: 10 Lessons for a More Productive and Less-Stressed Life’.
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