Advice: How to make New Year’s resolutions stick

Jan. 10 was national “Quitter’s Day,” named because many have already given up their New Year’s resolutions by the second week of the year. 

Three UNC faculty members, who are knowledgeable in psychology, self-compassion and well-being, advised on how to keep resolutions until December and beyond. 

Steven Buzinski, a professor and associate director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, said that people feel motivated at the start of the year due to the “Fresh Start Effect.” 

“If you are going to reset a goal, or even set it for the first time, if there is some kind of demarcation — the first of a month, the Sunday to start a week, the new year — then there is a little bit of a boost in motivation because you kind of feel like you have this fresh start,” he said.   

The problem is, he said, this motivation does not last. 

“One of the worst ways you can go about changing your behavior is relying simply on willpower,” Buzinski said. “Willpower is a little bit of a myth.” 

He said that although people can use their willpower for short bursts of motivation, this is not sustainable in the long term. Instead, those trying to keep their resolutions should make small changes to their living space that encourage developing healthier habits. 

Recently, he instructed a small group of students who wanted to jog more regularly to set their workout clothes and shoes near their beds. Having the clothes in eyesight helped them remember to put them on each morning, even if they did not feel like running. They reported that just putting the clothes on made it more likely that they would go out and jog. 

“It was really changing the environment that helped them renew that motivation, rather than just that force of will or the decision at that moment,” Buzinski said. “So, people could think about how I can change my room, my apartment and the structures around me to help facilitate the kind of new behavior that I want to have."

While it is important to know how to implement resolutions once made, the mindset of setting goals for the year is also important to how sustainable that resolution will be. 

Ani Bryce is the UNC Associate Clinical Research Coordinator for the Pathways to Adolescent Success Study and also studies self-compassion. She gave advice on how to combat the self-criticism that often comes with New Year’s resolutions. 

She said that an easy way to practice self-compassion is to talk to oneself as if talking to a friend. 

“Let's say, for example, a friend came to you and said, ‘This year, I want to exercise more,’” Bryce said. “Your response to them wouldn't be like, ‘Duh, you're so lazy.’ It would be, ‘That's awesome. I'm so proud of you for setting that goal.’” 

She said self-compassion can help people approach their goals rather than focusing on the negative.

“I think what self-compassion can offer is almost kind of this radical reframe of a New Year's resolution,” she said. 

While many look at resolutions through the lens of their perceived flaws, she said it is more helpful for people to have a positive mindset of themselves. Resolution-makers should frame their goals and the associated benefits as something they deserve to achieve, which will help them take more helpful steps toward doing so. 

Melinda Manning is the director of UNC Hospitals' Child and Family Program and an adjunct instructor in UNC’s School of Social Work. She has experience with a well-being perspective, which she defines as encompassing mental, physical and spiritual health. 

“When I think about well-being, I think it's very individualized,” Manning said. “So what is well-being for person A may be very different than for person B.”  

She recommended that people make their resolutions just as personalized. Specifically, she said that people should choose resolutions they resonate with rather than ones that sound good, or might impress others. 

“I think it's also important to make some resolutions about bringing joy to your life in some way, whatever that looks like for you,” she said.

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