Insights

New Year’s resolutions usually fail because they‘re often too hard to achieve. After six months, only 10% of people who make resolutions achieve them or remain committed to them, , according to a study by Dr. Mark Griffiths, a Chartered Psychologist and Distinguished Professor of Behavioral Addiction at the Nottingham Trent University.  What can you do to make financial, medical, or other personal resolutions more likely to be achieved?

Say It. Telling your spouse, friend, or even an acquaintance about your resolution may make you more likely to follow through.

Write it. Pinning the document to your home screen may help. Or share a written resolution on social media to motivate.  

Make It Really Easy. Don’t make this too hard. In fact, set a goal that is small, short-term, and that you should be able to achieve.

Rats Outperform Humans. Humans think they can outsmart markets, but rats are instinctually better investors. That’s the conclusion of several research studies of behavioral psychology. Be humble. Instead of resolving to pay down all your credit cards, maybe just resolve to pay down your largest debt, for example.

Enlist A Partner.  if you are married, and both you and your mate both need to change bad financial or health habits, it’s wise to enlist your spouse. For one spouse to go it alone while the other continues their bad habits makes changing much harder.  Changing your behavior is easier when you have someone doing it with you.  

Be Prepared For Setbacks. Dr.  Griffiths says lapsing back into a bad habit is common but doesn’t mean you should give up entirely. Changing a bad behavior you’ve been doing for many years probably will take time. Instead of feeling guilty or defeated, try to get back on track the very next day.

 If these suggestions sound daunting, don’t be discouraged. Individuals who make resolutions are much more likely to achieve their goals than those who make no resolutions.