Here it comes – “quitter’s day”. It’s the day science says many of us give up on those well-meant resolutions made so sincerely just over two weeks ago.
Quitter’s day is officially designated as the second Friday in January (January 17 in 2025) when our well-intentioned pledges of fitness and better eating – a “new me!” – often go by the wayside.
The designation comes from studies by data analysts of fitness app usage patterns.
But there are ways to make the good intentions last a little longer.
“It’s important to break goals or resolutions into smaller, manageable steps, and to explore how resolutions intersect with habits, wellbeing and self-compassion,” Associate Professor Justine Gatt, from UNSW’s School of Psychology and Neuroscience Research Australia, said this week.
“There are things you can do to make new habits stick – but it comes down to making sure the goals are meaningful to you in the first place.”
Gatt leads a research program that focuses on understanding the neuroscience of wellbeing and resilience to stress and trauma. She says wellbeing and resilience can be promoted via intervention techniques.
“Before you even think about a framework for setting your goals, consider what areas of your life need attention,” she said.
“It’s about wellbeing. Ask yourself, ‘What parts of my life am I not happy with?’.”
While confronting areas of dissatisfaction may feel uncomfortable, it’s a crucial step toward meaningful change.
“You can’t address everything at once, so it’s best to be targeted when setting goals,” Gatt said.
With studies showing that just wanting to change behaviour is often not enough to make us actually change, Gatt recommends a smarter way.
The so-called SMART framework is a structured approach that ensures resolutions are both well-defined and achievable:
Setting a goal is one thing, sticking to it is another.
“Once you’ve set your goals and decided what you want to work towards, the hard part really begins,” Gatt said.
“At this stage, it’s useful to think about some of the strategies that can help you implement these new habits, that will help you reach your goal or resolution.”
She said new habits took time to form, and benefits could take even longer to be noticeable.
“The results of a new habit won’t be immediate,” she said. “There may be an element of immediate reward, but the long-term benefits take time.
“For example, my research has shown that when you give people different activities to practice self-compassion and acts of kindness, you don’t actually see the effects on the person’s wellbeing until about four-six weeks of them doing it.”
Not noticing a change may be why some of us quit well-intentioned new habits. But psychological tips can help.
Research shows that doing something often enough, in the same context – such as putting on a seatbelt in a car – makes it become automatic.
“One tip that I would recommend is habit stacking,” Gatt said.
“The idea is that you think of something that you already do all the time, like having a cup of tea in the morning, and then you stack on a new habit to an existing habit, it helps with remembering to implement the new habit in your everyday routine and sticking to it.”
“It’s important to know your limits,” Gatt said.
“If something isn’t working, reflect on the barriers and adapt your approach.”
She said self-compassion was also key.
“Talk to yourself as you would a friend facing the same situation,” Gatt said.
“This is a good opportunity to learn, identify barriers as to why you’re finding it difficult to implement a new habit, and make adjustments.”