Did you know that a study found that only 9% of people keep their New Year’s resolutions by the end of the year? According to Pew Research Center, 87% of people are able to keep their resolutions within the first month of the new year. However, this number drops by the end of January, with 43% of people quitting their resolution, and it’s even lower by the second week of February, when 80% of resolutions have been broken.
These low success rates could come down to a few different reasons, like setting unrealistic goals, not creating plans, and prioritizing other things over personal goals. So you already broke your New Year’s resolution—so have a lot of other people! Try not to feel discouraged and view it as a sign of failure, and instead see it as a sign to keep going. It’s never too late to start again, so if you want to develop a new habit and make it last, there are a few things you can do:
1. Choose simple goals that are sustainable. Don’t try to change too much at once, as this can sabotage your efforts by causing stress or cognitive overload. Be practical—it’s much easier to change one thing at a time. Choose one thing to change (or two, if you must, and try habit stacking if you do) and do your best to stick to it.
2. Keep yourself accountable. Use a journal, planner, or even social media to track your progress. Consider reaching out to a friend too, since studies show that having a buddy system can help tremendously with successful habit formation.
3. Do it in the morning. If you want to get something done and make it a habit, make it part of your mornings. A study published in Health Psychology revealed that willpower is typically higher, there are fewer distractions, and it sets the tone for the rest of your day by establishing a positive routine early on. In fact, the study found that a new habit can become automatic 50 days earlier than if you tried to build the habit at night. There’s a reason that the first thing I do upon awakening is my morning flexibility/mobility routine. Check out my Morning routine online course to help establish your own routine.
A B.rad listener who enrolled in my morning routine course shared that she now feels, “more focused, grounded, and energized to start my day.” Barbara, who is 60, said that it’s about “making the commitment and getting it done every day!” Don’t be like the 84% of Americans who check their mobile device first thing in the morning—this type of immediate hyper-connectivity puts you in a reactive, distractible mindset according to behavioral experts, and it’s one that is quite the challenge to escape as the day goes on. But committing to a small start (such as a five-minute exercise sequence) can make a huge difference when it comes to building focus and discipline, boosting fitness, and elevating your mood and energy first thing in the morning.
4. Just keep going (at least, for the first 21 days).
The reason why making it through the first 21 days is so important is simple: habit formation takes time. A study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology revealed that it takes more than 2 months (66 days to be exact) for a new behavior to become automatic. But, it can vary depending on other factors—factors that are very specific to the individual, like their behavior, circumstances, personality, and how difficult the habit is! Regardless of your circumstances, we know from science that if you want to make a new habit stick, you have a much better chance at achieving it if you do it consistently and early. I offer a really helpful online course on my website for those wanting to eliminate unhealthy habits and get back to the basic primal behaviors that promote optimal gene expression. It’s called The 21-Day Primal Reset, and it’s designed to be a 21 day program for a reason.
Happy New Year everyone! I hope this year brings you good health and many chances to meet your goals. If you want to sign up for the 21-Day Primal Reset, click here, and if you’re interested in changing your life one morning at a time, click here to enroll in my morning routine course.
