HOW TO KEEP YOUR RESOLUTIONS
You know the feeling: It is the first day of a new year, and you decide to change some bad habits. For example, if you spend five hours a day on social media, you might make a resolution to stop doing that. As the months pass, you achieve some of these goals and fail to achieve others. And when the first day of the following year arrives, you make new resolutions.(lines 1–4)
Many people set goals at the beginning of a new year. In fact, this custom is found in many cultures, and it goes back thousands of years. For example, in ancient Rome, people began the new year with promises to improve their behavior. And nowadays, people in Japan write a list of all their goals on the first day of the new year.(lines 5–8)
Research shows that it might indeed be helpful to set goals on a special date. One survey, for example, was done in the USA two months after the beginning of 2024. Most of the participants said they were still keeping their resolutions from the beginning of the year. And a study by Professor Katy Milkman and her colleagues had even more surprising results. It showed that setting goals on any day that is special to us – not just on New Year's Day – can help us achieve them.(lines 9–14)
Milkman and her colleagues believe that special dates are helpful because they give us a feeling of a new beginning. "Many days in our lives are important to us – a new year, our birthday, even the first day after a holiday," explains science writer Mindy Taylor. "According to the researchers, each of these dates creates in our mind a break between 'before' and 'after.' As a result, we get the feeling that we can move on from the past. This can really encourage us to start something new."(lines 15–20)
However, many experts think that to achieve our goals, it is not enough just to set them on a special date. "If you want the change in your life to last a long time, you should use more than one method," says Taylor. "There are many good methods. One, for example, is asking your friends to support you. Another is using positive words when setting your goal. If you want to change what you eat, don't say 'I'll stop eating junk food.' Instead, say 'I'll eat vegetables every day.' Do these things and they will help you succeed."(lines 21–26)