The Current Why is it so hard to stick to a New Year's resolution?
Jan 12, 2026
Caitlin Woolley, a marketing professor at Cornell specializing in motivation science, and Katie Milkman, a behavioral scientist at Wharton, dive into the challenges of sticking to New Year’s resolutions. They explore the surprising benefits of the 'fresh start effect' and how specific dates can boost motivation. Woolley shares insights on how enjoyment and engagement are key to long-term success, while Milkman introduces 'temptation bundling' to make achieving goals more fun. Together, they provide practical tips on setting achievable and measurable resolutions.
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Fresh Starts Reframe Identity
- People treat life as chapters and use chapter breaks as chances to reset identities and goals.
- The new year is a major 'fresh start' but smaller breaks like Mondays can also boost motivation.
Make The Goal Enjoyable
- Prioritize making goal pursuit interesting and enjoyable to sustain it over months.
- Seek engagement in the activity rather than focusing only on how life-changing the goal is.
Use Temptation Bundling
- Use temptation bundling: pair a boring beneficial task with a genuinely tempting reward.
- Only allow the treat (e.g., favorite show) while doing the productive activity to create craving for the task.
