It’s a new year, which means millions of people are setting resolutions they sincerely want to keep.
We want to eat better. Move more. Earn more money. Finally get control of our time. We’re harnessing the New Beginning effect, a principle rooted in the idea that people often view new beginnings as an opportunity to distance themselves from past failures and shortcomings. This can lead to a psychological reset, in which we experience a renewed sense of optimism, self-efficacy, and motivation, common around the New Year.
And yet, by February, most of this motivation will quietly evaporate—not because people don’t care, but because the way we set resolutions is fundamentally flawed.
Why Most Resolutions Fail, Even When You Really Want Them to Work
As a culture, New Year’s resolutions are tests of personal discipline. If you stick with them, you’re committed. If you don’t, you “fell off the wagon.” Cue the familiar spiral of guilt and shame.
But new behavioral research suggests something very different.
A multi-country study in 2025 that examined goal persistence found that the strongest predictor of whether or not someone follows through on a resolution is not willpower, discipline, or even how specific the goal is. It’s intrinsic motivation: whether the behavior itself feels personally meaningful and rewarding, rather than externally pressured.
In other words, people do not abandon their goals because they lack courage. They abandon them because the goal never fits into their real lives in the first place. That helps explain why the most common resolution formats—rigid, outcome-focused goals set once a year—tend to collapse under pressure.
The hidden problem with results-based goals
Most resolutions are formulated as end points: lose 20 pounds, run a marathon, read 50 books, get a promotion.
They sound motivating, but behavioral scientists increasingly argue that these outcomes-first goals are not appropriate for behavior change. In fact, research suggests that popular frameworks like SMART goals are no more effective than telling someone to “do your best” when it comes to maintaining new habits.
These types of goals skip the hardest part: the messy bridge between who you are today and who you’re trying to become.
Tiffany Clevinger is a high-performing hypnotist who says, “It’s better to set identity-based goals than outcome-based goals… Who am I becoming in the process?” She suggests reframing a goal like “Save more money” to an identity goal of “Become more responsible with money.”
When progress inevitably slows, results-based goals create a psychological trap. Either you are “on the right track” or you have failed. If you miss some workouts or break a streak, you’re overcome with guilt. What follows is shame. Motivation drops. Resolution quietly fades away. But some high-performing companies know how to avoid this trap altogether.
Why you should think in weeks, not years
People who constantly change their behavior don’t rely on annual resolutions. They design systems that build momentum every week, not once a year.
The weeks offer quick feedback. They leave room for course correction. They make it easier to recover from setbacks without completely abandoning the goal. Instead of asking, “Can I do this for a year?” They ask, “Can I easily do this this week?”
And, as Clevinger explains, you can still take advantage of the Fresh Start effect. “Instead of looking at January 1 as the only new beginning, we can look at every Monday as a micro new beginning,” he says. “It feels much lighter, much easier for the nervous system to engage with.”
This change (from results to processes, from years to weeks) is where sustainable change begins.
Do you want to try it? Here’s a science-backed alternative to traditional resolutions, based on our work at Lifehack Method with thousands of professionals who are trying to change real habits within already full lives.
Step 1: Choose an identity change plus a small habit
Behavior change is not easy. Each new habit competes for attention, energy, and willpower. Consistent achievers know this, and that’s why they focus on a single identity change they would really like to develop, not a complete overhaul of their personality. Your focus is on long-term durability, not level 75 intensity.
A one percent improvement repeated daily is much more reliable than a burst of motivation followed by exhaustion, guilt, and abandonment. Ash Atomic habits Author James Clear notes, “If you improve one percent every day for a year, you’ll end up thirty-seven times better when you’re done.”
For example, if you want to become the kind of person who takes care of his body, the only small habit you can adopt is to drink a glass of water every morning when you wake up. As this becomes more automatic and successful, you can add a little extra habit, like making a healthy breakfast every day.
The early stages should be almost disappointing, because the system is designed to work after motivation fades, not while it is high. If it seems boring to you, you’re probably doing it right.
Step 2 – Add a number to make it easier to track progress
Vague resolutions fail because they don’t give the brain anything concrete to act on. Adding a simple numerical anchor (minutes, frequency, pages) turns a wish into a decision. “Exercise more” becomes “jog 30 minutes twice a week.” “Read more” becomes “read 30 pages before bed.”
This is not to make them more rigid, but to increase their clarity. Clear commitments reduce mental friction and give you a satisfying feeling of “being ready.” It’s harder to get out of them, especially on days when motivation is low.
Step 3: Identify friction before it appears
Most people plan for success and hope that obstacles don’t appear. But people who stick to their goals assume that friction is inevitable and plan accordingly.
Fear, over-ambition, scheduling conflicts, travel, and fatigue are very predictable barriers. The more explicitly you identify what could derail a habit, the easier it will be to respond without spiraling into self-criticism.
Ask: “What stones are in my path that I need to clear?” It’s a mental shift that keeps you focused on achieving your long-term goal.
Step 4: Borrow Motivation from Structure and Accountability
Willpower is unreliable, especially when you’re already juggling work, family, and constant digital demands.
That is why the external structure is important. Research on behavior change consistently shows that accountability increases monitoring by introducing eustress, a positive, motivational pressure that reduces the cognitive load of self-regulation.
Behavioral scientist Susan Ibitz points to her experience in the military as an extreme but illuminating example. The environment created by the sergeants and soldiers creates momentum; The action becomes easier because the structure eliminates friction. She encourages us to design structure in our own lives, starting with someone who can hold us accountable. “You need to find a cheerleader who isn’t your mom. You need someone who sees real value in you, not because they love you,” Ibitz says.
By joining a social mastermind or working with an accountability partner or coach, you will gain a supportive environment that will call you to the mat in a loving way. When responsibility is built into your environment, it keeps you focused on your task when willpower wanes.
Step 5: Write the habit on your calendar, or it won’t exist
Habits are not formed through intention alone. They are formed through repetition in a specific context.
Research suggests that simple habits can become more automatic in about two months, while more complex behaviors take longer. The mistake most people make is assuming that the habit will “find a place” in their schedule.
It won’t.
Blocking time on your calendar (taking into account travel, energy levels, and realistic limitations) turns the habit into a commitment rather than a hope. Many people also find success by chaining a new habit to an existing one, reducing the mental effort needed to get started.
Step 6: Use rewards
Reward is one of the most underused factors in habit formation, especially among high performers who are often more comfortable with self-criticism than self-reinforcement.
Some people rely on negative incentives, such as penalties for missed actions. While these may work in the short term, they often undermine intrinsic motivation over time.
Positive rewards are different. They reinforce identity. They make the process itself worth it. For example, rewarding yourself with a brisk walk around the neighborhood, a bike ride, a Frisbee with your dog, or a break from work to watch inspirational TED videos is sometimes all it takes to make the juice worth the squeeze.
Think of it as an insurance plan against failure, rather than an unnecessary indulgence.
Why does this system work when resolutions do not
Traditional resolutions ask people to change their behavior without changing the system surrounding that behavior. But people who make lasting changes are no more disciplined than anyone else. They are more focused on consistent, identity-based change.
By focusing on intrinsic motivation, weekly drive, structural support, and realistic planning, the goal shifts from “perfect execution” to “staying in the game.” If you miss a week, you won’t fail: you get up and try again.
They stop trying to reinvent themselves every January and start designing habits that they can live with in February, March and beyond.
So if 2026 is going to be different, it won’t be because you wanted it more. It will be because he built a system that made change easier to sustain.