5 reasons why you don’t stick to your New Year’s resolutions

Have you made a list of New Year’s resolutions for 2020 yet? If you’re like most
people, no matter how good your intentions are when you establish them, it’s likely
those resolutions won’t last, because it’s tough to get changes to stick.

People fall into the same traps year after year. Whether they decide to lose weight, pay
off debt, or get organised, they declare that they’re finally going to do something
different in the coming year. Yet, despite their efforts, most of them feel discouraged
by their lack of willpower within the first few days of the new year. Most of them
quickly abandon their goals.

Trouble keeping a New Year’s resolution is a common phenomenon. A study

conducted by researchers at the University of Scranton, in the US state of
Pennsylvania, found that 23 percent of people quit their resolutions after just one
week. And only 19 percent of individuals are actually able to stick to their goals
long-term (two years, in the case of the study).

Here’s why most New Year’s resolutions just don’t stick – and how to change that:

1. Not ready to change

Those end-of-the-year activities and New Year’s Eve parties often come with pressure to
declare how you’re going to change your life. And many people set a resolution based on
what they think they should do, rather than what they actually want to do.

Saying you want to hit the gym more often when your heart’s not in it won’t help you get
fit. In fact, a half-hearted attempt is likely to backfire. After a few days at the gym, you
might decide you’re more of a “couch potato” than an “athlete” and quit working out for
good.

You have to be ready to change your life if your habit changes are going to stick. And while
some people’s readiness for change happens to coincide with January 1, most people will
find the timing doesn’t quite work out that way.

2. No self-monitoring
Monitoring your progress is key to creating lasting change. Otherwise, how do you know if
you’re on target? Simply assessing your improvements on a regular basis can be enough to
keep you motivated.
For example, a 2015 study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research found that
fitness apps can motivate people to get more exercise. Tracking activity levels can help
people overcome perceived barriers to exercise. All those excuses you’re tempted to make
might go out the window when you’re monitoring your progress.
So whether you use an app that tracks your spending or how long your runs are, there are
many ways you can monitor the steps you’re taking.

3. Lack of planning
A little planning ahead goes a long way toward making good habits stick. You have to
answer tough questions like, “Will I have to wake up earlier to go to the gym?” or “How
am I going to stick to my budget when my friends invite me out for dinner several nights
per week?” Anticipating challenges and identifying solutions is key to long-term success.

Mistakes are bound to happen when you’re working on a resolution. In fact, a study from
the University of Scranton shows that people who are successful at sticking to their
long-term resolutions tend to slip up (defined as the re-emergence of unwanted
behaviour) at least 14 times. A whopping 71 percent of individuals said their mistakes
actually strengthened their desire to reach their goals.

Planning ahead can help you figure out how you’ll recover from those mistakes. And that’s
an important part of preventing a misstep from turning into a permanent failure.

4. Overconfidence
While many people worry that lack of confidence will kill their chances of reaching their
goals, overconfidence can be even more detrimental.

When you’re convinced your goal is going to be easy – and you conclude you’re
overqualified for the job – you’ll likely find yourself unprepared and ill-equipped to face
the reality of the situation.

Change is hard. Acknowledge that it’s tough to delay gratification and push yourself when
you’re tired. Saying it’s going to be difficult to stay on track doesn’t mean you’re weak. It
means you’re being realistic.

Recognise that you have weaknesses and that you’re going to struggle, and you’ll be more
emotionally prepared to meet your goal.

5. Not looking at what has to be given up

Everything you add to your life means you have to give something up. But we often only
focus on what we’re gaining and forget to look at the things we’re leaving behind.

Going to the gym three nights a week may mean fewer hours with your friends and family,
or less time to watch your favourite show. Before you sign up for that membership, make
sure you’re ready to make the trade-off.
Similarly, sticking to your budget means less impulse purchases and fewer meals out with
friends. How are you going to handle these uncomfortable feelings (or the awkward
conversations when you have to say no to things you really want to do)?

Before you commit to changing your habits, recognise what you will gain from the new
habits. And think about what you’ll need to give up before you make the change. Simply
acknowledging this ahead of time – and developing a plan to deal with the change – can
help remind you that it is worth the price you’re going to pay.

Make your resolution last

Just because most resolutions fail doesn’t mean your resolution can’t last. If you’re
prepared for the reality of the challenge and you’re willing to put in the hard work to make
it happen, you can make your resolution stick this year.

1/ Write a Summary (at least 100 words)

2/ Speaking:
● Why are many people unable to stick to their new year goals? (tell me at least 2-3
reasons from the article)

● What are your goals? How will you make your resolutions stick next year?

岳陽樓記 范仲淹

慶曆四年春，滕子京謫守巴陵郡。越明年，政通人和，百廢具興。 乃重

修岳陽樓，增其舊制，刻唐賢 、今人詩賦於其上；屬予作文以 之。

予觀夫巴陵勝狀，在洞庭一湖。銜遠山，吞長江 ，浩浩湯湯，橫 無際

涯；朝暉夕陰，氣象萬千。此則岳陽樓之大觀也，前人之述備矣。 然則

北通巫峽，南極瀟湘，遷客騷人，多會於此，覽物之情，得無異乎？
若夫霪雨霏霏，連月不開；陰風怒號，濁浪排空；日星隱耀，山岳潛形；

商旅不行，檣傾楫摧；薄暮冥冥，虎嘯猿啼。登斯樓也，則 有去國懷鄉

，憂讒畏譏，滿目蕭然，感極而悲者矣。

至若春和景明 ，波瀾不驚 ，上下天光，一碧萬頃；沙鷗翔集，錦 鱗游

泳，岸芷汀蘭，郁郁青青。而或長煙一空，皓月千里，浮光躍金， 靜影

沉璧；漁歌互答，此樂何極 ﹗登斯樓也，則有心曠神怡，寵辱皆忘，把

酒臨風，其喜洋洋者矣。

嗟夫！予嘗求古仁人之心，或異二者之為 。何哉？不以物喜，不以己

悲。居廟堂之高，則憂其民；處江湖之遠，則憂其君。是進亦憂， 退亦

憂，然則何時而樂耶？其必曰：「先天下之憂而憂，後天下之樂而 樂」

歟！噫！微斯人，吾誰與歸﹗

1. 文中第三、第四段 寫了哪兩種覽物之情？ 這兩種覽物之情與「古仁人」的情懷有甚麼不同之處？你較

喜歡哪種情懷呢？

2. 你欣賞作者「先天下之憂而憂，後天下之樂而樂」的政治抱負嗎？ 你認為現代的執政者仍需要這種抱
負嗎 ？