Rethinking New Year’s Resolutions: A Psychological Perspective on Lasting Change

Every January, New Year’s resolutions arrive with a familiar sense of urgency. The calendar turns, and suddenly there is pressure to change: exercise more, eat better, be more organized, finally get everything together. For some, this feels motivating. For many others, it quietly adds stress.

The American Psychological Association has addressed this pattern directly. In The Secret Behind Making Your New Year’s Resolutions Last, psychologist Lynn Bufka, PhD, explains that lasting change is rarely the result of ambitious promises made on January 1. Instead, sustainable change tends to come from small, realistic adjustments that can be integrated into everyday life (American Psychological Association, 2019; updated 2023; republished 2025).

From a psychological standpoint, this fits with decades of research on motivation and behavior change. Change that lasts, is usually modest, practical, and shaped by real-world constraints.

Why New Year’s Resolutions Often Don’t Stick

Most resolutions fail not because people lack discipline, but because the goals themselves are poorly matched to how behavior actually changes. Large, idealized goals are difficult to sustain, especially when daily life intervenes.

Research on self-regulation shows that behavior change is more likely to persist when goals are specific, attainable, and connected to personal values rather than self-criticism or social pressure (Baumeister & Vohs, 2007). When goals are framed around who one should be, even minor disruptions can feel like failure.

This helps explain why many resolutions quietly dissolve by February, often leaving behind frustration rather than growth.

The Resolution No One Talks About: Keeping Things the Same!

There is also a quieter category of New Year’s resolutions that rarely gets mentioned. These are resolutions to continue doing what is already working.

“I will keep going for my regular walks.”
“I will continue seeing people I enjoy.”
“I will keep doing the exercise routine I already have.”

From a psychological perspective, these are often the healthiest resolutions of all. Maintaining stability, especially during times of stress, requires effort. Continuing habits that support well-being is not a lack of ambition; it is a form of self-regulation.

Change is not always about adding something new. Sometimes it is about not undoing what already helps.

What Psychology Suggests Instead of Big Resolutions

The recommendations cited in the APA article reflect well-established psychological principles.

Start small.
Habits form more reliably when behaviors are modest and repeatable. Research suggests that consistency matters more than intensity (Lally et al., 2010).

Focus on one change at a time.
Trying to overhaul multiple areas of life at once increases cognitive load and reduces follow-through.

Use social support.
Motivation is strengthened through connection. Support from others improves persistence and reduces stress (Ryan & Deci, 2000).

Expect setbacks.
Setbacks are part of change, not evidence of failure. People who respond to lapses with self-compassion are more likely to continue over time (Neff, 2003).

Is January 1 Actually the Best Time to Change?

It is worth questioning whether January 1 is an especially useful starting point. The date carries symbolic meaning, but it can also create unnecessary pressure, as though growth must begin on schedule.

Clinically, meaningful change often begins when something becomes noticeable or uncomfortable enough to deserve attention. That moment rarely aligns neatly with the calendar.

A more helpful question than “What should I change this year?” might be:
“What would make daily life a little easier right now?”

A Practical Resolution for Therapists That Actually Helps: Simplifying Documentation

For many clinicians, one of the most useful changes has nothing to do with self-improvement. It has to do with documentation.

Documentation is rarely inspiring. What it does offer, when it works well, is relief. Fewer notes hanging over the evening. Less mental clutter. Fewer half-finished charts waiting in the background.

Documentation becomes stressful when it is:

• delayed until we get home from the office
• inconsistent from note to note
• cognitively demanding because the structure keeps changing

A realistic goal is not “I will finally love documentation.” It is something much simpler:

• finishing notes right after session
• using the same structure consistently
• spending less time deciding how to write

This is not about perfect notes. It is about reducing friction.

Here’s a way to get started using clear, commonly used formats:

How to Write SOAP Notes → https://notedesigner.com/how-to-write-a-soap-note-a-practical-guide-for-mental-health-providers/

DAP Notes: A Clear and Flexible Structure → https://notedesigner.com/how-to-write-a-dap-note-a-thoughtful-and-structured-approach-to-therapy-documentation/

BIRP Notes Explained for Everyday Practice → https://notedesigner.com/how-to-write-a-birp-note-a-clear-and-clinically-meaningful-approach/

How to Write a Basic Progress Note→ https://notedesigner.com/how-to-write-a-basic-therapy-progress-note-a-practical-guide/

Using a GIRP Progress Note →  https://notedesigner.com/how-to-write-a-girp-note-a-focused-format-for-goal-oriented-therapy/

How to Write a Treatment Plan → https://notedesigner.com/how-to-write-a-treatment-plan-a-guide-for-therapists/

Writing a Clinical Intake Report →  https://notedesigner.com/how-to-write-a-therapy-intake-report-a-practical-guide-for-clinicians/

In addition to these guides, Note Designer includes an optional, private Ethical AI note-writing tool. Clinicians can dictate or type a few brief statements about a session, and the software generates a complete, professional progress note using the selected format. We never use your entries to train AI and we don’t listen-in to record your private clinical sessions – clinicians remain fully in control of their content and clinical judgment.

For many clinicians, this makes the documentation “resolution” easier to keep—not because it removes thinking, but because it reduces the time and effort required to turn clinical impressions into a finished note.

A Brief Note About Note Designer

Note Designer is designed to make documentation more predictable and less time-consuming. It combines structured templates with optional AI-assisted note writing, allowing clinicians to choose how much support they want.

When documentation takes less mental energy, it is easier to complete consistently. That consistency, in turn, helps prevent notes from spilling into evenings, weekends, and personal time.

A More Sustainable Way to Think About Change

Lasting change rarely comes from dramatic resolutions. It usually comes from small adjustments that reduce strain and support consistency.

As the APA’s guidance suggests, change works best when it fits into real life. When goals are manageable and supported by practical systems, they are far more likely to last beyond January.

Sometimes that change involves health or rest. Sometimes it involves finally addressing an administrative task that has been quietly draining energy for years.

Final Thoughts

Not every meaningful change needs a symbolic starting date. And not every resolution needs to feel ambitious to be worthwhile.

From a psychological perspective, sustainable change often comes from paying attention to the structures that shape daily life. When those structures work better, everything else tends to follow.

If this is the year you decide to make documentation less effortful, we hope the resources on this site—and tools like Note Designer—help make that change stick. 💜

References

American Psychological Association. (2019, updated 2023; republished 2025). The secret behind making your New Year’s resolutions last. https://www.apa.org/topics/behavioral-health/new-year-resolutions

Baumeister, R. F., & Vohs, K. D. (2007). Self-regulation, ego depletion, and motivation. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 1(1), 115–128.

Lally, P., van Jaarsveld, C. H. M., Potts, H. W. W., & Wardle, J. (2010). How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology, 40(6), 998–1009.
https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.674

Neff, K. D. (2003). Self-compassion: An alternative conceptualization of a healthy attitude toward oneself. Self and Identity, 2(2), 85–101.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15298860309032

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: Classic definitions and new directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), 54–67.
https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1999.1020