I get asked all the time if New Year's resolutions actually work.

This week I will give you some quick and dirty tips to help you maximize your goal setting.

Welcome back to Savvy Psychologist.

I'm your host, Dr. Monica Johnson.

Every week on this show, I'll help you face life's challenges with evidence-based approaches,

a sympathetic ear and zero judgment.

There isn't a ton of research on New Year's resolutions specifically, and the studies that

do exist leave room for interpretation.

One longitudinal study on New Year's resolutions found that 77% of people were able to maintain

the resolutions for one week, but only 19% were able to keep them up for two years.

Of those that were successful, the mean number of slips was 14.

I think that's particularly important to keep in mind, as it shows that success isn't

in all their non-condition.

For instance, if you set a New Year's resolution to lose weight, you can expect that you will

run into some roadblocks along the way, even if you're ultimately successful.

But many of us choose to be harsh with ourselves when we experience a slip, instead of seeing

it as a part of the process.

There is also some research on a phenomenon dubbed the Fresh Start Effect.

Most of us are motivated by temporal landmarks, like the start of a New Year, the start of

a New Week or Month, or the start of a New Job.

As such, we may be temporarily more motivated to engage in desired behaviors around this

time.

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