Effective at Sticking to Your Goals

Today is "Quitter's Day," a phenomenon where people are statistically more likely to give up on their New Year's resolutions by the second Friday of January. This collective realization, underscored by the challenge of sustaining new habits, has gained importance through research conducted by Strava, a social fitness network. Strava analyzed user data and identified this specific date as when motivation fades, and exercise hours start declining. In fact, this year, Strava and Chipotle have a promotion rewarding those who persist.

Two main factors contribute to quitting after a couple of weeks. Firstly, setting unrealistic goals, known as "Optimism Bias," can lead to lost interest as the goal seems too distant. Lowering expectations and focusing on the bare minimum can alleviate this. Secondly, the Holiday momentum has dried up as everyday life resumes. Without the right systems (habit changes) in place, motivation alone may last only until today. Eliminating friction from daily routines is crucial for building the necessary systems and habits.

To overcome Quitter's Day, follow these five strategies:

1. Focus on delivering one small change: Instead of drastic updates, such as going from no exercise to daily gym sessions, start with one small thing. For example, aim to walk 8-10k steps. This approach allows for tangible results and gradual escalation.

   Personal take: In 2020-2021, after counting my calories for three months, instead of engaging on a strict diet, I eliminated red meat and pasta from my daily consumption, resulting in a 20lbs weight loss (that I never regained).

2. Focus on cutting intensity: Reduce goals by half. If going to the gym six times a week is challenging, try three times. If it is still challenging, try going once. If that's still too much, (go to point #1) focus on walking.

   Personal take: Inspired by a TED talk (“Why I'm a weekday vegetarian”) that states how being vegetarian shouldn't be a binary thing and we could do it on certain days, I now make a third of the meals I order vegetarian, acknowledging progress even if I will most likely never fully adopt a vegetarian lifestyle.

3. Focus on Input Goals: As previously mentioned, Instead of fixating on Output Goals like losing weight, break them down into Input Goals (e.g., exercise, diet, sleep). Tracking progress in these areas provides a sense of accomplishment and control.

   Personal take: By understanding the impact of various factors on weight loss, I shifted my focus from the end goal (losing weight) to actionable input goals (e.g., the number of times eating takeout, the number of exercises), making progress more manageable.

4. Create the right cue-based mechanism: Change the environment or stack a new habit with an existing one. For instance, as James Clear states that placing a guitar stand in the living room can prompt more frequent practice.

   Personal take: Setting up a cue-based mechanism of waking up and putting on gym clothes has made my exercising more consistent.

5. Seek support: Having an accountability buddy, coach, or using platforms like Stickk.com can increase the likelihood of goal achievement.

   Personal take: Since July 2023, I have managed to overcome a natural dislike for strength training by joining an app where I have a coach for accountability. I have been consistently training four times a week (even while vacationing at the beach last week).

   *If you have read this far and think you need some accountability or coaching for your goals, send me a note, and I’ll be happy to help!

Hope all of this helps. Don’t forget to celebrate your small wins!

Jorge Luis Pando

"You cannot fail, unless you quit" - Abraham Lincoln