I love this time of year for all the obvious and, frankly, ubiquitous reasons. No need to list them here—you already know them. But this festive season also brings with it a Santa-sized sack of things that annoy me. Elf on a Shelf, new Christmas movies not starring Danika McKellar, and most of all, news stories, podcasts, blogs et al. about New Year’s resolutions.
There’s nothing “new” about any of these new year, new you bits of media. The same inspiring headlines followed by the same feeble advice. But this isn’t the reason approximately 92 percent of us bail on our resolutions before February is done, according to Driver Research, a market research company. The main culprit, according to a psychologist, is our approach to making change.
We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to start anew in January. And why not? New Year, new gear and gadgets, ill-fitting sweaters, and squishy pounds added to our love handles we accrued over the holidays feels ripe for making adjustments. But January is dark and cold and we’re tired. And after the hectic holidays, things seem to pick up with a renewed panic of importance come January 2. Just like you leave the house a little early to beat traffic, I suggest the same approach for beginning your New Year’s resolutions.
Yes, a moment ago, I blamed January on being dark and cold, therefore, making it harder to be inspired, but December is not that different. And, well, technically, it’s darker since it’s the month hosting the Winter Solstice. But January just feels darker, likely because of the Christmas lights and all the festivities that come with it. December the party, January the hangover. Best to get busy when you’re feeling good than when you’re cursing yourself stuck in the couch.
The new habit or routine you want to initiate in the New Year doesn’t need to wait. Start it now and get in the pattern of changemaking. The forced feelings of joy in December should help push you like a good coach or trusted friend. One thing we can do to avoid resolution burnout is to stop talking about our resolutions—something Randi Smith, professor of Psychology at Metropolitan State University of Denver says is a reason we fail. Beginning them in December means by January, our efforts are old hat. Plus, by the time January rolls around, you’re already past the hard part, which is getting started.
What are we waiting for? What better Christmas or Hanukkah gift is there than giving yourself the gift of change? And, hey, if you’re going to drop the effort a month or so in, as so many do, by starting in December, you’ll still have the chance to jump back into it early in the year just when everyone else is bowing out.
New Year’s resolutions are a mind game. And there’s no better time to be mindful of what you want to achieve than right now.
