The UK’s number one vitamin company, Vitabiotics, shares expert knowledge in an exclusive interview with Wellness Psychologist Leva Kubiliute and Relationship Consultant Mairead Molloy on why our goals so often fail. They also reveal how the same principles behind New Year’s resolutions can help your September goals actually stick.
As summer fades and school terms resume, many people experience a natural urge to start afresh. Psychologists and wellness experts increasingly point to September as an effective time for setting personal goals, as returning routines can provide a psychological boost known as the fresh start effect.
Research from the University of Pennsylvania in 2014, led by Hengchen Dai, Katherine Milkman, and Jason Riis, found that temporal landmarks, such as the beginning of a new month, academic term, or season, can increase motivation for aspirational behaviours. Google searches for diets, gym visits, and goal commitments also rise after these landmarks.
September brings several of these moments together, including the end of holidays, the return of structured work and school days, and the change in season. For many people, this combination can create a sense of a clean break and an opportunity to establish new habits.
Relationship Consultant Mairead Molloy highlights the power of such moments. “The New Year offers a blank slate and an opportunity to get things right,” she says. “When we set New Year’s resolutions, we are utilising a very important concept called self-efficacy, which means by virtue of aspiring to a goal and following through on it, we have a sense of control over what’s happening in our lives.”
However, many goals still falter. “Most people blame their failure to fulfil resolutions on a lack of time, resources, or motivation, or on a loss of motivation after starting. Only about 16% of people are able to follow their resolutions,” says Molloy.
“We often fail to achieve and keep them because they focus on a specific outcome, for example, a precise body weight. When the focus is placed on a specific outcome, it can be challenging to persevere in your efforts towards it if results are not immediate.”
Molloy recommends several approaches for making September goals more realistic and sustainable.
Start with smaller goals
Molloy advises breaking larger ambitions into manageable steps rather than attempting a major change immediately. “Start with small, realistic goals. When you set yourself a huge milestone, it can feel overwhelming. Breaking big goals into micro-goals will help you turn a big commitment into a more manageable target and will help build the momentum you need to accomplish your resolutions. Many people will decide that their New Year’s resolution is to lose weight, run a marathon, stop smoking, become vegan, or be less stressed. These goals are respectable but unrealistic because they have not been broken down into smaller, more achievable, and less daunting goals. Starting with smaller goals will put you on a positive path towards reaching the larger ones.”
Create a clear plan
Having a defined timeline can help turn an ambition into an achievable goal. “Ask yourself what you want to achieve, when you want to achieve it, and why. Planning is the root of successful resolutions, so not having a steady plan will negatively affect your motivation.”
Make goals concrete
Molloy also recommends replacing broad intentions with specific, measurable targets. “To ensure your resolutions are attainable, it’s important to focus on concrete goals instead of general ones. For example, if your goal is to lose weight, set yourself an exact amount instead of a general statement of ‘being healthier’ or, using the example of reading, resolve to read one book every month instead of ‘reading more’.”
Check in with yourself
Regular self-reflection can help people identify barriers to progress and make meaningful changes. “Hold yourself accountable regularly by checking in with yourself and answering two questions: ‘What am I tolerating?’ and ‘What am I avoiding?’ The answers serve as a gateway to create real and honest change.”
Choose goals that have meaning
Molloy says personal meaning can make resolutions easier to maintain. “Set resolutions that have a deep meaning to you. When you are able to firmly know why you want to make a resolution, it’s easier to keep. Your resolutions should come from the heart and not from the mind. This way, you will draft your plans based on what you actually desire to do and not what you feel is right.”
Maintain a positive mindset
Molloy also encourages people to focus on positive experiences rather than allowing negative thinking to undermine their efforts. “Focusing on the negative will make it hard for you to reach your goals. Try to stimulate your mind with positive things by participating in activities that leave your mind feeling refreshed and energised. Rather than rushing forward in a panic to set resolutions or a list of goals, you can start on New Year’s Day, forget all that and enter the New Year in a mode of being absolutely present and absolutely positive about how great it’s going to be.”
Build support around your goals
Sharing goals with people who can provide encouragement may also help maintain motivation. “It’s always better to have support with resolutions. It will also bring out your competitive side! If you do set goals with someone else, be sure to show each other support and complement each other regularly. Make time to hear each other out if one of you is struggling to commit.”
Avoid goals driven by others
Finally, Molloy warns against setting resolutions based on social expectations rather than personal priorities. “Ensure that your resolutions and goals are not based on the expectations of others or that you are being driven by a false need to conform to societal norms. Resolutions and goal setting are a time to make real changes and take stock of where you are and what you want out of life. Not to continue doing what others expect you to do or what you think might make you seem or feel more successful or more appealing.”
September’s combination of returning routines and seasonal change may therefore provide a useful opportunity to establish new habits. Rather than focusing solely on distant outcomes, people can make resolutions more manageable by concentrating on achievable steps, personal meaning, regular reflection, and support from others.