3 Proven Hacks to Stick to Those Faltering Resolutions

Most people quit their resolutions. These strategies can help you succeed.

Reviewed by Michelle Quirk

Key points

• Striving for perfection can backfire, keeping you from making meaningful progress.
• Although small changes often do not seem exciting, they are the foundation for lasting change.
• The more your environment supports your goals, the less you need to rely on willpower to stay consistent.

Many people set New Year's resolutions, but almost as many struggle to stick with them. In fact, January 10th has been dubbed “Quitters Day” to mark when most people abandon their resolutions—barely two weeks into the new year.

While the concept of Quitters Day may sound discouraging, there’s reason for optimism. Some estimates suggest that one in five people find a way to make their resolutions stick, turning their goals into lasting habits. To be part of that 20 percent who power past Quitters Day, here are three strategies to help you stay on track:

1. The "What-the-Hell" Effect

The phrase “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good,” often attributed to architect William McDonough, applies to resolutions. Striving for perfection can backfire, keeping you from making meaningful progress. To counter this, it’s helpful to build flexibility into your plans. For example, if your goal is to exercise regularly, you might aim to work out every day but give yourself permission to miss two days each week without guilt.

This approach helps you avoid what researchers call the “what-the-hell effect”—the tendency to abandon a goal entirely after a small setback. Picture someone who sets a resolution to hit the gym every day but misses a couple of sessions during a busy week. Instead of adjusting their plan, they think, “What the hell, I’ve already failed,” and quit altogether.

Incorporating flexibility into your goals helps you overcome this all-or-nothing mindset. Even the most disciplined people face setbacks. By building in some slack, you’re practicing self-compassion—a factor that can help you stick to your goals over the long term, according to research.

2. Start Smaller

In his best-selling book, James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, explains that improving by just 1 percent each day may seem small, but it compounds to significant growth over time. Although small changes often do not seem exciting, they are the foundation for lasting change. People often set ambitious resolutions—like getting in shape, advancing their careers, or saving more money—but these goals can quickly feel overwhelming due to their scope.

The popular S.M.A.R.T. framework encourages goals that are, in part, achievable. BJ Fogg, the director of Stanford Behavior Design Lab and author of Tiny Habits, encourages people to take the achievable idea to the next level by starting as small as possible to avoid feeling intimidated once the initial excitement fades.

For example, a friend of mine who was more sedentary than she wanted to be set a resolution to walk 10,000 steps a day—a massive leap from her current habits. Unsurprisingly, she found the goal overwhelming. A better starting point for her could be walking around the block. And if even that feels like too much, she could begin by simply committing to putting on her walking sneakers every morning.

Once this small habit becomes second nature, she can build from there—taking longer walks, increasing her step count, or layering on another healthy habit. The key is to focus on small, achievable steps that create momentum for meaningful change.

3. The Banana Principle

Your actions aren’t just a reflection of who you are—they’re also influenced by the world around you. The more your environment supports your goals, the less you need to rely on sheer willpower to stay consistent.

One of the most memorable examples of this is the “Banana Principle,” shared by two executives in Harvard Business Review. They observed that when employees in corporate break rooms were given a choice between bananas and oranges, they almost always reached for bananas—not because they taste better, but because they’re easier to grab and eat.

While the Banana Principle may seem trivial, the takeaway is anything but: Even small barriers, such as peeling an orange, can significantly influence our choices. To increase your chances of success, design your environment to make the right decisions as effortless as possible.

For instance, if you want to stop scrolling on your phone in bed, you could place it across the room when you get into bed, rather than on your nightstand. Or, if you want to drink more water throughout the day, you can place water bottles throughout your office and bedroom to make hydration easy and automatic.

While many people fall short of their resolutions, that doesn’t mean all hope is lost. The saying "The only true failure is failing to learn" applies here. If your goals feel overwhelming, view it as a chance to reflect and adjust. Ask yourself how you can make your resolutions more attainable. Giving yourself some flexibility, starting smaller, and reshaping your environment are great places to start.