Why Your New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Stick
It’s January, and the usual question is everywhere: What are your New Year’s resolutions?
Most of us default to “more”:
Exercise more. Sleep more. Learn more. Be more organised. Be more productive.
Even the “less” list (less alcohol, less scrolling) is often in service of becoming more of who we think we should be.
The New Year genuinely can help. It’s a psychological “fresh start”—a clean-slate moment that boosts motivation.
But I think there’s a bigger question underneath it all:
Try again at what… and for whom?
I’ve just published a new Psychology Today article exploring why resolutions often don’t stick—not because of a lack of discipline, but because we rush straight to what we should do, without getting clear on who we are.
In the article, I explore:
The hidden difference between goals that feel energising vs goals that feel heavy
The “ought-self” trap (when your goals are driven by pressure, comparison, and cultural ideals)
Why “doing less” can sometimes be the smartest kind of reset
Two practical ways to turn insight into action
If you’re setting intentions right now, I hope it gives you a calmer, truer starting point.