When the New Year comes around every 365 days, or in our case this year, 366 days, many on the 365th day find a new goal or task to complete starting on the first of the year, going to that final day of the year. Popular belief is that most who take on a resolution for the year only stick to it for a month and fall out of the loop. Now, is this just because people choose the wrong resolution or is the struggle to continue on with the resolution the real problem?

I conducted a survey through my social media, asking what resolutions people were taking up for 2024, if they believe people stick to their own resolutions throughout the year and what they believe is the most common resolution in the nation. Majority of people are attempting to workout and exercise more throughout the year to get healthier and stronger. Another popular resolution was losing weight and even some saying to gain weight. Both objectives can lead to healthier habits and lifestyles for personal benefits. Some other responses consisted of keeping a daily journal, having better hygiene, getting better grades, and watching a movie everyday. Now you may be asking yourself about that last one, which is my personal resolution. I want to expand my interests in genres and also re-watch films that I haven’t seen in a long time. Although this will be a daunting task, I have kept up pretty good and cannot wait to continue. I think one of the reasons many back out of their resolutions is because the resolution isn’t as intriguing to the person attempting to complete it. I like my resolution because I love movies, and I have a desire to complete it. If I said I wanted to read a book every three weeks, I wouldn’t be as motivated.

Going outside of my personal reach on social media, a study was conducted for 2024 resolutions taken this year around the nation by Forbes. The top five responses consisted of improving fitness, improving finances, improving mental health, losing weight and improving diet. Other popular resolutions included additions to their life like more time for hobbies or loved ones, even stretching to more traveling. Also within the study were questions as to how long people stuck with their resolutions in 2023. 22% said their resolution lasted 2-3 months. One percent claimed they went the entire year or 11 months. This information comes from interviewing 1,000 adults in the United States late in the 2023 year. 

For more from Forbes: New Year’s Resolutions Statistics (2024) – Forbes Health

Resolutions are done in a way to better yourself, but some have a harder time sticking to them than others. This has become a social norm in today’s day and age, where a new trend has started to rise. This different method is not super popular but myself and some friends participate to give an alternative to the traditional way. Giving an objective to each month such as weight in the month of November, since that is when the holidays start up, or eating less sweets in July, when cookouts are on the rise with the Fourth of July,  bringing soda and desserts to the forefront. In this system, I find it better to participate with friends and family to keep yourself accountable and you can keep them participating. This is a new style that I have grown fonder to like, and maybe you will too, so try it out!