Resolutions vs. Intentions: Why Do 80% of Resolutions Fall Through in Just One Week?
Have you ever set a New Year’s resolution and stuck to it the entirety of the year? Yeah, me either. That’s like saying you finished a chapstick before you lost it or sent it through a load of laundry. Theoretically possible, but I’ve yet to meet a person who can admit to achieving it.
What is it about a new year that begs us to set such lofty goals for ourselves? Last year I thought to myself- what would be a SMART goal-esque resolution I could set for myself? For anyone who is unfamiliar with a SMART goal, the SMART acronym stands for a goal that is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound. “Surely,” my therapist brain thought, “if SMART goals are good enough for progress notes they are good enough for my 2025 resolution”. So, I decided I’d read one book authored by an individual from every continent. Not too complex right? Seven books, twelve months, completely doable.
Reader, you already know I did not meet this resolution! Not for lack of excitement. The idea had come to me standing in a New York bookstore, McNally Jackson. In the back of the bookstore, past all the new reads, books are shelved by country of origin. Korea, Rwanda, Iceland- you name it, it’s there! I had picked up “Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop”, the first novel by Korean author Hwang Bo-reum and “The Winners” by the Swedish author Fredrik Backman become inspired by the idea. Well, as it turns out, “The Winners” is the third book in Backman’s “Bear Town” series, so of course I had to go back and read the other two. I then fell in love with the vicarious mindfulness in cozy Korean and Japanese fiction. I found myself wrapped up in Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” series. You get the picture. Suddenly it’s September and I’ve read over twenty books but have only hit four of the seven continents.
“But Brittany- that’s still a huge accomplishment” some might say. And I would agree, I am happy with all I read this past year. However, I still technically did not meet my resolution. It turns out that I’m in good company- apparently 80% of new year’s resolutions fail within one week (Forbes, 2026). So then, what does work? How do we make lasting change?
I was on the right track with SMART goals- small, measurable goals tend to be much more successful than trying to overhaul a habit in a few weeks. Forbes contributor Jason Walker, PsyD, PhD writes, “Big goals tend to trigger fear; smaller habits trigger consistency” (2026). Optimism isn’t enough of a catalyst in itself for change- we have to be clear in why we want to change, be ready to make the change, and be intentional in setting time aside (Verywell Mind, 2025). Take a look at the stages of change, and determine for yourself where you might feel stuck:
Precontemplation: You’re starting to become aware that there may be something to change
Contemplation: You’re thinking about making a change
Preparation: You start putting a plan together to make a change
Action: You make the change
Maintenance: You determine how to maintain the change
If we return to the example of me reading one book authored by an individual from every continent, I got stuck in maintenance phase. The pleasure of reading the next book in Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” series just called to me more than searching for a book written by someone who had been to Antarctica. In the words of LPC Terri Bly, “The pain of not changing has to be greater than the pain of changing for us to really change” (VeryWell Mind 2025).
So now how do I make going for a run more pleasurable than scrolling through social media, or eating a hot fudge sundae? Another key factor in forming new habits is a behavioral strategy called The Premack Principle, which highlights the importance of pairing a new behavior with a well-established behavior (Psychology Today, 2022). An example of this would be setting the intention of riding your Peloton while you watch Survivor Wednesday nights. Pairing a low-probability behavior (working out) with a high-probability behavior (religiously watching Survivor) makes the probability of working out more likely!
So this year, instead of setting a hard and fast commitment, try something a little more gentle- setting an intention. Wonder how you can make a goal a little more pleasurable (body doubling with a friend), and a little less rigid (finding an hour to work towards a goal). Remember that missing a week of workout isn’t a failure, but a hiccup on the journey to becoming a happier, more authentic, or healthier version of you. And if this time of year isn’t the season for you to start something new, give yourself permission to rest. After all, “January is not nature’s reset, March is. Nature asks nothing of you yet” (SRWPoetry, 2025).
Take good care,
Brittany
New Year, Same You. Why Resolutions Don’t Work And What Actually Does. Forbes, 2026.
Better Than a Resolution? Try a New Year's Intention. Psychology Today, 2022.
The Psychology Behind Why New Year’s Resolutions Fail. VeryWell Mind, 2025.
