Byte of Prevention Blog

by Jay Reeves |

25 New Year’s Resolutions That We Love To Break

new yeaerAre you one of the 105 million adults in the U.S. who makes New Year’s resolutions?

If so, you should know that your odds of keeping them are not good.

Two-thirds of all resolutions are abandoned by Groundhog’s Day on February 1. And yet, much like the movie of that name, when next year rolls around we’ll start all over again with a new batch of resolutions that we’ll also soon break.

Top 25 Resolutions

Here are the Top 25 New Year’s Resolutions:

1. Lose weight. No surprise here. Weight loss is an evergreen. Year in and year out, it accounts for 25 percent of all resolutions. And it is also the promise that is most quickly broken.

2. Exercise. Though this is often tied to the first resolution, the outcome is usually the same. Studies show that 90 percent of new gym membership usage occurs in January and February. By March we are back on the couch.

3. Quit smoking. Only 10 percent last six months or longer.

4. Quit drinking. The partying and festivities of the holiday season doom this one to frequent failure.

5. Get a new job. Easier said than done.

6. Get out of debt. Sounds great, but when the reality of having to cut back on one’s lifestyle kicks in, the promise is quickly forgotten.

7. Save money. This is especially tough at holiday time.

8. Eat healthier. We make this one harder than it needs to be. Experts say an effective and easy way to improve your diet is to simply eat more fresh fruits and vegetables each day.

9. Get organized. The average office employee spends 1.5 hours a day (or a full six weeks per year) looking for things that have been misplaced.

10. Spend more time with family. This should be a perfect resolution, since the holidays are occasions to reconnect with family. Sadly, though, we begin neglecting these relationships when the tinsel comes down. 

11. Reduce stress. This is another tough one to begin at a time when we are traveling, visiting relatives and departing from our regular routine.

12. Work less. Hard to do when we return to the office to find our in-box overflowing.

13. Stop procrastinating. One of the most common resolutions, and one we commonly keep putting off.

14. Travel more. Bucket lists are fun to make but hard to complete.

15. Repair a damaged relationship. There’s something about the Christmas glow that makes us want to be less Scrooge-like. But once the last Christmas carol has been sung, we realize that some people are simply annoying.

16. Learn a new language. This is the resolution people are most likely to keep, especially if they choose a language that is relatively easy to master.

17. Sleep more. Between six to eight hours is the recommended goal.

18. Spend less time on Facebook. The addictive nature of social media makes this habit harder to kick than chocolate.

19. Spend less time watching television. We sometimes kid ourselves into thinking we’re watching less TV when actually we simply transfer screen time to our laptop and phone.

20. Clean out my closet and get rid of old clothes. The problem is that we develop emotional attachments to the things we wear.

21. Begin biking to work. All it takes is one rainstorm or cold snap for that initial burst of enthusiasm to fade, and for the bike to be banished to the garage.

22. Run a marathon. The overwhelming majority of people break this resolution not long after buying an expensive pair of running shoes.

23. Take up an extreme sport. It sounds like an exciting way to shake up your humdrum life. But the reality of bungee jumping or hang-gliding can bring you quickly back down to earth.

24. Give more to charity. Charitable donations soar during Christmas and return to normal levels soon after.

25. Have a baby. Talk about ringing in the new year!

Source: http://list25.com/25-of-the-most-popular-and-commonly-broken-new-year-resolutions/5/

About the Author

Jay Reeves

Jay Reeves practiced law in North Carolina and South Carolina. He was Legal Editor at Lawyers Weekly and Risk Manager at Lawyers Mutual. He is the author of The Most Powerful Attorney in the World, a collection of short stories from a law life well-lived, which as the seasons pass becomes less about law and liability and more about loss, love, longing, laughter and life's lasting luminescence.

Read More by Jay >

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