What’s Quitter’s Day?
It’s the day, according to the folks who track these things, that people are most likely to ditch their New Year’s resolutions.
To pinpoint January 12th as Quitter’s Day, fitness app operators at Strava analyzed data from 98.3 million uploaded running, cycling and other exercise activities. Today is the day exercise drops off, gyms begin to empty and it’s easy to imagine that our other resolutions begin to falter.
It takes an average of 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic.
How are you doing with your resolutions?
If you’re not sure, that’s part of the problem.
Did you write them down? Writing down your resolutions with a note about why change is important commits you and will increase your likelihood of success.
Are your resolutions quantifiable? Simply saying you want to lose weight isn’t the same as committing to a number – either losing a pound per week or hitting a particular goal weight.
Are your resolutions measurable? If you are striving to save more money, pick a reasonable goal – say $5,000 this year – and then ensure that you are making weekly/monthly progress.
Most importantly, do you remember why you made your resolutions? You aren’t seeking better health or more money or a better work/life balance for the hell of it. There’s a reason you want those things. That reason has to remain front and center and drive your actions.
Your resolutions need to be built into your everyday life in order to stick. If you are trying to save money, then make a note each day about expenses you avoided, things you didn’t buy or steps you took to bring in additional income. If you are trying to lose weight, then count your calories or track your exercise. If you want to get a new job, start by polishing your resume, networking with three people who could be helpful or scanning the help wanted ads. Daily progress, consistent action and daily reminders create new habits and foster success.
A University of Scranton study that predicts only 8% of the Americans who make New Year’s resolutions will stick to them.
If you’re off track, it’s only January 12th and with 350+ days left in 2024, there’s still plenty of time to achieve your dreams. Besides, didn’t you say that 2024 was going to be a better year?
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