Why New Year's Resolutions Fail And How To Change That

We all have the best of intentions at the start of the year.

Get fit, do more volunteering and don't waste time binge-watching the latest Netflix sensation.

But as the holiday glow fades, so can our resolutions to make this year and this decade the happiest and healthiest yet.

So, what can science tell us about how to avoid slipping back into old habits and make those goals stick?

For a start, we need to recognise that any change is inherently difficult.

The brain is hardwired to crave routine and resist change.

One of the reasons why it's hard to stick to new habits is that we still have old ones, which we have to override.

Bettina Höchli from the Department of Consumer Behaviour at the University of Bern, Switzerland, says the old and the new behaviours can be in direct competition with each other.

"The old behaviour is a routine and a new one has to be learned first, which contradicts our nature," she says.

So in order to build a new habit like going to the gym, we often have to break old habits like endlessly scrolling on social media, which can be equally challenging.

But there are some scientifically-backed tips you can use to help you.

Don't rely on willpower alone — use the power of habits

Amanda Rebar, from the School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences at Central Queensland University, studies the role of habits in health behaviour.

A habit is a process where a cue automatically triggers an impulse in you to act.

Think of something like leaving your gym gear at the front door so you can grab it on your way out.

Dr Rebar says the more specific you can be about the cue that will trigger the behaviour you are after, the more likely it'll turn into a habit.

The key to starting a new habit is finding something that you regularly come in contact with.

"So time of day is a great one, because no matter where you are, it's always going to happen," she says.

And the power of habits is that they kick in and drive our behaviour even when we have lost motivation.

In other words, if meditating for 10 minutes before bed becomes a regular habit, we will do it even if we don't feel like it.

Reward and repetition

If feeling stronger and healthier is on your to-do list, it can take a while to see results.

So Poppy Watson, from UNSW School of Psychology, recommends that you build in short-term rewards. You might want to book a relaxation massage, planning a night out with friends, or an outdoor activity that you enjoy.

"The powerful effect of rewards can't be underestimated," Dr Watson says.

Take pride in achieving your goal and reflect on your accomplishments, however small, so the "habit system" stamps in the behaviour in your brain.

These small rewards will motivate you to keep on track, she says.

Mike Le Pelley, associate professor at UNSW School of Psychology, says repetition of your new behaviour is the key.

"Our laboratory studies show that, in very simple tasks, we can see the first evidence of habitual behaviour emerging after around 30-40 minutes' practice on a task," he says.

Forming a new habit in the real world and which sticks might take much longer.

"But nevertheless the more the behaviour is repeated, the more locked in it will become," he says.

It's the journey, not the destination

A simple mindset change to see reaching goals as part of a journey can have a huge impact.

Researchers from Stanford Graduate School of Business interviewed 1,600 people around the world who had reached goals such as boosting their fitness or tracking how much they were eating.

Some were asked to think about attaining the goal as "completing a journey" or "reaching a destination", while others didn't receive the same prompts.

Those who embraced the journey metaphor were much more likely to stick with their new behaviours.

Kira Newman is from the Greater Good Science Centre at the University of California, Berkeley, which studies the psychology and neuroscience of wellbeing. She says seeing goals or resolutions as a journey gave people a greater sense of personal growth, a feeling of changing and learning over the course of the experience.

"It was that feeling, in turn, that explained why they stuck to their new habits," she says.

Make it easy

Energy is precious and our brains are designed to conserve it where possible.

In other words, we will always default to expending the least energy.

Make healthy eating easy

Good food should be easy and keeping things simple will help you make better choices.

So make it as easy as you can for you to embrace your new habits.

James Clear, a personal development speaker and author of Atomic Habits, suggests priming your environment to help you fulfil your goals.

"Want to improve your diet? Chop up a tonne of fruits and vegetables on weekends and pack them in containers, so you have easy access to healthy, ready-to-eat options during the week," he says.

Plan for obstacles

In a perfect world there would be no last-minute work or family commitments or a big dinner that might blow out your healthy eating plans.

But the reality is, there are always going be things that pop up which could potentially derail your best intentions.

So have a plan ready to put into action.

Think about some of the obstacles you might encounter and work out how to overcome them even before they pop up.

For me, one of my goals is to be more active more often.

I know that often work can take up all of my day so I need to schedule in a break of 30 minutes, even if it's just to go for a brief walk.

And start small

"Don't try to change your whole life all at once," Dr Rebar says.

"Focus on one small thing at a time and be patient with yourself, let your mind figure out a process that works."

Every little bit helps.

This is general information only. For detailed personal advice, you should see a qualified medical practitioner who knows your medical history.

Sophie Scott is the ABC's medical reporter and writes about positive psychology.