New Year’s resolutions as projects not promises

It’s that time of the year again when we will hear the all too familiar script: This is the year I’ll get fit. Save more. Be kinder. Work smarter. We say it out loud, post it online, as if intention improves with an audience. Social media obliges with likes, which feel suspiciously like progress.

Then January arrives, months pass, and resolutions slip to the back of our minds. The problem is not that we lack discipline. It’s that we have turned resolutions into performances rather than personal commitments.

In the past, resolutions used to be taken more seriously. Thousands of years ago in ancient Mesopotamia, communities marked the new planting season with rituals. Babylonians crowned or reaffirmed their king and made promises to the gods to repay debts and return borrowed goods. Keeping these vows was believed to bring divine favor in the year ahead. Breaking them invited punishment.

As calendars evolved, so did the meaning of starting anew. When January was established as the beginning of the year in ancient Rome, the month took its name from Janus, the two-faced god who looked backward and forward at once, a fitting symbol for reflection and resolve. Romans offered sacrifices and promised moral improvement, linking personal conduct to the turning of time.

That reflective approach deepened in Christian traditions, where the start of the year was framed as a moment for self-examination and recommitment. By the 18th century, formal renewal services encouraged people to review past failures and consciously resolve to do better.

Yet despite their enduring appeal, resolutions have a famously poor success rate. A Forbes Health–OnePoll survey shows that most resolutions fade quickly, with the average lasting about 3.7 months. Only a small fraction of respondents keep their goals for a full month, while roughly one in five sustain them for two or three months, and even fewer make it to the four-month mark.

One reason resolutions fail is that we mistake aspiration for action. “I will exercise more” is an aspiration. “I will walk 30 minutes every morning before work” is a plan. The first sounds noble; the second requires discipline. If we are serious about accomplishing our resolutions, we must treat them like projects: define the goal, understand the obstacles, and measure progress honestly.

Part of that honesty is acknowledging that not everything can be changed at once. A long list of resolutions often becomes a long list of disappointments. Change works best when it is focused and sustained. One meaningful resolution carried through the year is worth a dozen that evaporate by February.

We should also remember why we make resolutions in the first place. The new year offers a psychological reset. It tells us that we are not trapped by last year’s mistakes. This shift from performance to purpose matters beyond our personal lives.

Another thing about real change is that it is usually unglamorous and private. And yet, we announce them because applause is immediate, while change is slow. A culture that celebrates announcements more than achievements has encouraged superficial change. We applaud statements of intent, corporate pledges, and political commitments, even when results never arrive. The new year invites us to resist that pattern, starting with ourselves.

So perhaps the real resolution we need is to mean what we say. Set fewer goals, but treat them as projects more than promises. Define your metrics. Monitor your progress. Forgive yourself when you stumble, but don’t give up. The best way to honor the new year is to live it differently, not just announce that we will.