Have you made any resolutions for 2015? Good for you! Wanting to better yourself is a laudable goal. But if you want to avoid feeling like a colossal failure come February, know that there's a reason almost all of those well-intentioned changes don't stick past January.
Secrets to Success: How to Keep Your Resolutions this Year
That's March, people.
And in the 2009 study, those timings more or less applied no matter which habit participants were trying to form (though exercise—not surprisingly—was the hardest to automate). In some cases, habits took more than 200 days to stick. Other rare souls lucked out at just 18 days.
But don't despair. If you're realistic about going the distance, then you may be a little forgiving on yourself about the little blips and setbacks along the way. If you aim for March, you may be more patient and steadfast about the changes to your lifestyle, instead of expecting a quick fix.
Personally, I think part of the trouble is timing. Assuming that most of our goals involve eating less and exercising more, we are attempting this Herculean feat in the dead of a long winter when our every instinct is saying, "Eat comfort foods and hibernate." Maybe we should hold off on resolutions entirely until, say, April or May when the trees are budding and there's a Spring in our step...
Spill it: What's your resolution this year?
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