New Year’s Resolutions are expected to fall by the wayside today (January 10) as a third of Brits give up on their pledges.
Not only that, but there will be further failure in the days ahead. Weak-willed Brits are set to give up their good intentions even before Quitters Day.
This is traditionally the second Friday of January, which falls on Friday the 13th this year
New Year’s Resolutions set to be broken today
Only a third (38%) of the most determined people will stay on track until the end of the month. This is based on last year’s performance.
And the numbers in 2023 might well be less than that.
The new survey of 2,000 UK adults conducted by Duolingo, the world’s number one language app, pinpointed January 10 as peak failure day in 2022.
This is when 32% of people broke their resolutions. It also found 61% of Brits think keeping their pledges will be even harder this year.
The temptation to quit could be strongest if you are attempting Veganuary. That’s because giving up meat was voted a difficult resolution to stick to by 36% of people.
This was closely followed by cutting phone screen time by a 10th (34%) and going to the gym at least twice a week (33%).
Using Tik Tok for just 10 minutes a day came in fourth, with 25% reckoning that would be a tricky challenge to meet.
Meanwhile, 22% think calling friends or family at least once a week would be hard.
‘We pick resolution that are too difficult’
But the problem might not all be down to a lack of willpower, according to Duolingo’s senior learning scientist, Dr Cindy Blanco.
She said: “The trouble with goal setting in January is that we typically choose resolutions that are too ambitious and too difficult to keep.”
“A more effective approach is to break new habits down into mini-goals.
“Think of personally meaningful goals that you can achieve in a few weeks or months. And then repeat that process all year.
“This is a great way to build in a ‘reward’ element to keep you engaged, see your progress more easily and build connections between your study habits and the reward.”
‘Non-negotiable part of your day’
One man who has shown true commitment and stuck to his goals is Owen Radcliffe, an SEO specialist from Pudsey, West Yorkshire.
He has completed a daily Italian lesson on Duolingo for 3,321 days – that’s nine years solid.
For him, the secret to success is not letting any excuse get in his way, including the day he became a new dad.
He said: “Once you become invested in your hobby, keeping up with it becomes a non-negotiable part of your day.
“This has led to me completing daily lessons in some very impractical situations.
“Like while hungover in a tent at a festival on low battery with poor signal, at an airport, at work, and even just as my new son was born.”
Luckily, his efforts have been worth it.
He said: “I’m now a frequent Italian speaker in real-life scenarios. So the commitment has totally been worth it.
“Learning a language isn’t always easy, but it gave me structure, and Duolingo’s gamified techniques kept me coming back for more.”
Reasons to keep up your New Year’s Resolutions
And despite our habit of dropping New Year’s Resolutions early, plenty of Brits do still feel they are worth making.
Some 70% of people have set one this year, according to the study, and 84% say having personal goals helps them feel grounded when there’s so much doom and gloom in the news.
Meanwhile a whopping 88% say New Year goal makes them feel accountable to their future self.
But first we need to get through today and Quitters Day.
To help new learners get past the January 10 sticking point, Duolingo is providing you with an incentive.
To be in with a chance of winning the infamous Duo the Owl plushie, along with loads of other Duolingo goodies, just head to the @DuolingoUK Twitter.
Then just state your 2023 motivation for learning, before the end of January.
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So what do you think? Head to our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and share your resolutions.