The Science of the Ingredients to Have a Successful Resolution
Reviewed by Dr. Scott Rollo, PhD & Valena Wright, MD
A new year brings that familiar spark. Teachers feel the pull of a fresh start and the desire to do something good for their health. This often leads to the same January decision many people make: buy a gym membership with the hope that the purchase will create motivation. Yet the science shows something very different. Instead of building momentum, purchasing a gym membership seems to quickly deflate even the best intentions.
You cannot argue the facts! More than 70 percent of memberships go unused, and over 80 percent of people who attach their resolution to a gym stop within the first months. This means the purchase does not strengthen commitment. It weakens it. Your time, energy, and money deserve a better return. There is a better way to turn that January energy into something that lasts, and it begins by understanding what truly drives change.
The January Passion to Resolve
Every January, teachers feel that familiar surge of intention. I am ready. I want to change something. That passion is real, and it matters. But passion alone cannot build a habit. What it can do is start one, if it is channelled in a way the brain can sustain.
Here is the science on how to turn that spark into a lasting routine.
1. Capture the energy and shrink the action
Your brain needs early wins, not early strain!
The mistake most people make is matching January energy with a January sized goal. Instead, take that passion and pair it with the smallest behaviour you know you can repeat, even on your busiest school day.
Passion says, I am going to work out five days a week.
A lasting resolution says, “I will move for five minutes on Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday morning.”
That mismatch of big feeling and small action is what keeps a habit alive.
2. What is not scheduled, does not happen!
Research across behaviour change fields is clear. If it is not scheduled, it is not happening.
Ask yourself one question: When will I do this
Not sometime this week. A specific day. A specific time. A specific place.
This is scheduling self efficacy, one of the strongest predictors of habit formation in adults, especially in high demand professions like teaching.
3. Start at home where friction is lowest
Before buying memberships or equipment, begin where the barriers are smallest. This gives your new behaviour the best chance to survive the February fade. Four minutes in your living room beats an unused gym card every time.
4. Build identity instead of outcome goals
Shift from outcome goals to identity based goals.
I am someone who moves a little every day.
I am someone who takes one small step toward well-being.
I am someone who restarts quickly after a busy week.
Identity is sticky. Outcomes fluctuate.
5. Track it for five seconds
A simple checkmark, a short note, or pressing log in an app creates a small internal reward. This recognition helps your brain say, do this again, even during stressful school weeks.
6. Expect disruption and practice the restart
It’s about progression, not about perfection.
(K. DeZutter)
Teaching brings unpredictable days. You will miss moments or miss whole weeks. That is normal. The skill that sustains a resolution is not perfection. It is the ability to restart.
Use a simple restart phrase.
Next day counts.
Back to it.
Five minutes is enough today.
These short statements create a gentle return rather than a self blame spiral.
7. Use a brief reflective exercise when you hit a bump
A one minute pause can prevent a total derailment. When a week becomes overwhelming or your plan slips, step back and reflect. Ask yourself what happened, what you needed, and what the smallest next step could be. This changes the internal narrative from frustration to progress. We have a guided reflective exercise that pairs perfectly with these steps.
A Resolution That Lasts Looks Like This
One small behaviour
Scheduled to a day and time
Done at home
Tracked briefly
Supported by reflection
And restarted easily.
Your January passion to resolve is the match that lights the first spark.
The system you build is what keeps the flame going.
