How to stick to your New Year’s resolutions after January

Are you sticking to your New Year’s resolutions? If not, Bram Vink sheds light on why. He also shows how small changes will lead to success.

There is a scientific reason why people make New Year’s resolutions. The fresh start effect, a phenomenon rooted in behavioural science, is a psychological boost you experience at the beginning of a new year, a new day, or even on your birthday.

‘I’m bad at sports or I can’t cook. Every person holds certain beliefs about themselves based on previous failures and mistakes’, says Bram Vink, student psychologist at Hanze. ‘The fresh start effect creates a psychological distance between your past self and your future self. You are hopeful that this time you might succeed.’

The collective belief we know as new year, new chances makes the fresh start tangible

What makes New Year especially powerful is its global scope, says Vink. ‘People are drawn to rituals. Transitioning from one year to another is a global ritual. The collective belief we know as new year, new chances makes the fresh start seem more tangible and achievable.’

So, your New Year’s resolutions did improve your fitness, mental health or whatever goal you wanted to reach. Well done, you succeeded. You are lucky, because lost of people find themselves four weeks later on the couch with a bag of chips, binging Netflix. What went wrong?

Calling it a lack of motivation is too simplistic. There are three decisive factors in keeping motivation high. Vink explains: ‘If your New Year’s resolution was to start going to the gym, you need to feel capable of achieving it: this is self-efficacy. You should also be free to choose when, how, and how often you work out: this is autonomy. And it is best if you don’t do it alone, finding a workout buddy or joining a group helps a lot.’

‘Please, tell your friends you want to quit smoking and ask them to help you… good friends definitely will’

Vink stresses the importance of social circles. Want to quit smoking? Hanging around with non-smokers will make it easier. Quitting is still possible if you are surrounded by smokers, but you need to be firm in your no. ‘Tell your friends you want to quit smoking and ask them to help you. Good friends will respect that.’

According to Vink, New Year’s resolutions often fail because students don’t reflect on what drives their behaviour. A student who starts working out may be driven by forces, such as the wish to become as muscular as some of his class mates. Deep inside he may belief he isn’t good enough, so he compensates by exercising. Perhaps he does the work-out on his own, or the routine doesn’t fit into his social life. These sort of things make the effort more stressful than rewarding.

Vink encourages students to be curious about themselves. ‘See it as an inner investigation, ask yourself questions. What did I find difficult? Was I insecure? Did I allow myself to consider insecurity as a challenge?’

‘You are more likely to give up with a fixed mindset. This is the goal, and I am going to do it perfectly is not a good starting point.’

It is important to remember that some days are better than others. ‘Allow yourself to do it imperfectly’,  Vink says. ‘You are more likely to give up with a fixed mindset. This is the goal, and I am going to do it perfectly is not a good starting point.’
He also suggests being honest with yourself. Are you doing something because you genuinely want it and find it important or because of external rewards and peer pressure?

The key to building new habits and breaking old habits is to start small. Vink shares how he failed his first attempt to do push-ups years ago. ‘I didn’t approach it smartly. I tried to do as many push-ups as I could but after a week I didn’t feel like doing it anymore. Then, I tried again but I set the bar low: I did two or three push-ups a few times a week. Now, I do thirty push-ups every morning. That’s because I have built the habit over the years.’

‘If your New Year’s was resolution hitting the gym… start by just walking to the gym’

Vink recommends the book Atomic Habits by James Clear to anyone who wants to turn their New Year’s resolutions into long-term habits. ‘One story from the book features Twyla Tharp, a famous dancer and choreographer, who trains for two hours every morning. When asked how she keeps that up, she replied she focuses on putting on her workout clothes and getting into a taxi. So when she is at the gym, she has a choice of whether or not to train. For her the first, simple step, getting into the taxi, is completing the habit.’
If your New Year’s resolution was hitting the gym, start by just walking to the gym. Once there, you can decide whether or not to work out. Vink says: ‘Focus on the energy you put into it, not on the result. Some days will be better than others, it is like waves. Ultimately, if you keep going, there will be an upward trend.’

Photo: photographer Andreea Luta