New Year ’ s Resolutions Ellie Haberlin-Chambers
New Year ’ s Resolutions Ellie Haberlin-Chambers
We appear stubbornly attached to the ritual of making New Year ’ s Resolutions despite being weakly attached to actually keeping them . Resolutions are often shortlived : of the 63 % of adults in the UK who failed to keep a New Year ’ s resolution , the majority ( 66 %) admitted to breaking it within the first month . So , as I write , we are two weeks into January - did you make one ? And , if so , how are you doing ? If you have already abandoned your resolution , do not despair . You may with more focused preparation be better able to succeed than you think . Bear with me .
Willpower is often highlighted as the most important aspect in successfully sticking to a resolution ; consequently , many go about the business of turning over a new leaf with the idea that willpower alone will keep them on track - and it is certainly hard to think of a situation where being of strong will could be more useful . However , a recent article in The Guardian referred to a research study conducted over two decades by psychologists into the prevailing wisdom that willpower is a finite resource which becomes depleted when used in one way : a theory known as ‘ ego-depletion '. This theory held that if great reserves of will were expended to say , get up early to go to the gym , that there would be less willpower left over for other purposes later in the day , such as stopping procrastination over work . Psychologists were unable to reproduce the results that underpinned this formerly accepted theory - part of a wider credibility crisis in psychological studies . Instead the researchers found that the concept / facility / experience which we have learned to refer to as ' willpower ' has been found to operate in a similar way to a feeling – that is , it comes and goes rather unpredictably and it cannot be forced . Similar to other feelings , it can be triggered or amplified .
The implications of this on any resolution or goal we set ourselves is that willpower alone cannot be relied upon to see them through . Instead we must prepare for instances where our willpower is low and think of ways to anchor ourselves to our good intentions . We have to alter our environment so that willpower becomes less important and we have to make our resolutions something that we enjoy changing rather than changes we feel we ought to make .
Take a common resolution such as eating more healthily : we are more likely to succeed if we plan ahead - writing a list when we go to the supermarket reduces the likelihood of impulse purchases of things like sweets / crisps ; on a night out only carrying cash - leaving the bank card at home - so that you stick to the number of drinks you planned for and don ' t buy ' drunk food '. Once a habit has been established then little / no thought is required in order to do these things and the role of willpower is further diminished .
The scaffolding of our will comes from planning when we have more motivation which supports us when motivation is low . Nike ' s ' Just Do It ' strapline speaks to this behaviour ; a plan to go to the gym is more likely to be seen through if you pull out your gym kit and trainers the night before . When you wake up , the sight of the gym kit reminds you of your intention . Similarly , resolving the night before that , when you wake , you are not going to engage in conversation with the sloth who lives in your head about whether they still think it ' s a good idea to go !
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