HELENA — Around 80% of Americans abandon their New Year's resolutions a few weeks after Jan. 1. MTN spoke with people in Helena to learn about their resolutions and how they plan to keep them ahead of New Year’s Eve.
Dan Otto, who was visiting his girlfriend for the holidays in Helena from Eau Claire, WI, has a resolution centered around personal wellness.
Andy Nicol of Helena hopes to finish a novel he’s been working on. “I’ve dabbled in writing. I enjoy it and think I have it in me to produce something, maybe.”
He also hopes that incorporating his resolution into his daily routine and using executive function tools like calendars and lists will achieve it. “I plan on using a calendar to schedule activities every day to make sure I go through and do the things I resolve to do.”
Resolutions can even be as simple as Karina Densmore’s, "To focus more on activities that force me to put my phone down.”
Three in ten Americans say they made a resolution in 2024. However, the success rate of New Year’s resolutions is between 9% and 12% after January.
Lindsay Walter, a behavioral health professional with St. Peter’s Health, explained why new resolutions often fail and emphasized that forming new habits takes time.
“Research shows it can take people 21 to adjust to something new. You need to be consistent for 21 days to build a new habit. I think it probably takes a lot longer than that. And again, not giving up, following through, and being consistent is an important piece of new habit-building,” said Walter.
Walter also suggested taking bigger goals or resolutions and breaking them down into smaller, more achievable tasks.
