Top 10 Common New Years Resolutions That People Don’t Keep

It's almost the end of 2025, and you know what that means. Christmas, of course, but also the new year shortly after that, when people celebrate the Earth making a complete revolution around the sun.

They also lie to themselves about making changes in the new year. Yeah, most people have New Year's resolutions, but they only last for a few weeks at best. Sometimes I think people should have their New Year's resolutions wrapped up like Spotify, just to see how far off they were.

Here are the most common New Year's resolutions people have that don't last.

The Top Ten

Exercise More

Have you ever seen the gym in January? Everyone is talking a big game about trying to get more exercise and stay focused on losing weight from the holidays. Then by March, those same people couldn't be bothered to go to the gym. It's so hard to stay on track.
Define your specific workout goals and schedule. Try to go every other day or 3 times a week for 30 minutes to an hour to start.
Eat Healthier

It's hard to diet because so many people just can't let go of sweets and sugary foods entirely, and a diet feels so restrictive. There's this big fear of being excluded from eating what you like. There are better ways to go about it. Honestly, worry more about calorie deficit than eating certain foods. Trying to limit fast foods if you can is a good place to start, but of course, the convenience of eating fast food on the go makes this nearly impossible.
Save Money

It can be done, but it requires some serious effort to set a budget and stick to it, limiting unnecessary spending. This is something that definitely requires commitment and takes time to see any meaningful progress. Listen to Dave Ramsey for some good advice on how to save money. He's hardcore, but the ideas are pretty applicable.
Reduce Screen Time

Yeah, this one doesn't work, just straight up. It's so hard to stay off social media just because everybody is on it nowadays. You get this feeling of missing out just because it gives you that dopamine boost or whatever chemicals your brain is addicted to.
I promise you that the world is more than just Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. Go touch some grass every now and then. Just try to limit yourself to an hour or two every day and get off of it well before bedtime.
Quit Smoking or Drinking

Addictions are very hard to break and overcome. I applaud anybody who can make it happen. If you're going to do this, you have to have a good support system in place to deal with the withdrawals and hold you accountable. Otherwise, it's very easy to slip and regress back to old habits. It's one of the hardest things to do since you're essentially fighting your body's nicotine or alcohol addiction and the symptoms of withdrawal, but if you have a good support network, you can do it.
Drink More Water

It's good to try and drink more water. The issue is that it's hard to keep track and stay consistent when you're getting fast food or something from the gas station and all the sodas and stuff just lure you in. It requires dedication to drink more water, and a lot of people don't have that level of commitment in them. Coffee, soda, beer, whatever it is, just always sounds more attractive and appealing.
Learn a New Skill

While this sounds like a good idea, the problem is that it takes serious time and effort to see any progress. For the most part, people aren't going to be good at something they haven't done before. There's going to be growing pains. It's just part of it. Learning a new skill requires patience and practice and time dedication, and most people simply check out when they don't see results they're satisfied with.
Read More Books

This habit sounds good in theory because reading is a good thing, right? Well, yes, but it feels more and more difficult to actually get your hands on a physical book. It feels like everyone is reading online these days, which of course leads to distractions and loss of interest. I remember in elementary school they encouraged us to read, and I'm glad they did, but unfortunately, it seems like reading as we know it is fading. It's one of those things that people don't always have the time for, and it's quickly pushed aside when things are busy. Unless you dedicate time to it, those books will be sitting on the shelf collecting dust by June.
Be More Organised

Of course, this one sounds like a good idea. Everyone says they want to organize more and declutter their living spaces, especially when people have just gotten a load of Christmas gifts like clothes and other essentials. The problem is that it takes time and dedication to make it happen, and a lot of people simply don't have that kind of time. There are ways to make it work, but usually people aren't specific, and without boundaries in place, it's hard to keep the clutter down, both physically and digitally, like your photos and emails and old texts.
Stay in Contact with Friends and Family

This one has good intentions, but like a lot of things, it requires taking time to text or call them, and it's like one blink and it's been 6 months since you've talked to them. Maybe this is more of a guy thing. I've had friends I haven't talked to in years. It's very easy to lose contact with people, and of course, they don't respond right away, so it becomes this long waiting period between messages like the 1800s or something.