Yes, There Really Is a “Quitters’ Day”
Happy Belated Quitters’ Day to all who celebrate!
Informally noted as the second Friday of January, 2026’s Quitters’ Day has already come and gone, and with that, the majority of individuals’ resolutions.
While I don’t particularly love the term “quitter”, I found it fascinating to know that Strava had determined that there was a specific date where the motivation drops off and the resolutions go by the wayside.
So what gives? Why are so many goals discarded less than two weeks into the new year?
Based on the research I’ve done and the conversations I’ve had with clients, here’s what I’ve found to be some causes of abandoned goals:
Too Much, Too Soon
I get it. You’re coming off of the holidays, you’re ready for a change, and you go all in. Full send. No excuses.
While there’s nothing wrong with that, you’re likely taking yourself from one extreme to another. And the excitement for a change can keep us going for a bit, but that full send can also lead us to easily becoming overwhelmed and exhausted.
Here’s one of my favorite analogies that I use with my clients:
Imagine a pendulum. If you pull it all the way back and let it go, it will swing to the other side to approximately the same height.
Pretty cool.
Except when it comes swinging back, it goes all the way back to where it started due to the momentum.
Not cool.
Now, if that same pendulum started out with a gentle swing to one side, when it swings in the other direction, it does so gently as well, so the shifts are not as drastic. If our habits are the pendulum, there’s a lot less momentum bringing us back to where we began, which keeps us closer to the originally planned goal.
Not Accounting For Life Actually Life-ing
It’s easy to be optimistic when setting goals, but when life starts coming at you fast (which it does), it’s common to feel overwhelmed and lose our focus on those goals because it feels like everything else needs our attention.
When working with my clients on their goals, I encourage them to adopt a risk management mindset. What are potential barriers that could pop up, and with those in mind, what can we plan for now to help mitigate those? Is there a backup plan we can have already have in place so that we don’t need to put energy into figuring it out in the moment?
Looking for Instant Results
We are living in a world that is obsessed with instant results.
Hungry but don’t want to make food or leave the house? Order through Door Dash and it will be here in 20 minutes.
Need office supplies but don’t want to go to the store? Amazon Same-Day Delivery.
The same is true for our goals. We set a goal or change a habit, and we expect to see quick results from our hard work.
But that’s not the way it works (most of the time). And, the quicker you see results, it usually means that those results can disappear just as quickly.
Take the pressure off for things to happen in a specific timeline, especially if that timeline is very short. Set yourself up for success by focusing on how the habit makes you feel while you’re doing it and enjoy that process.
Lack of Alignment Between Goals and Values
Our values are fundamental beliefs that drive our behaviors and our lives. And, they are unique to us as individuals. This is why I get so frustrated by influencers pushing a certain way of “healthy”. What works for them will not work for everyone, especially if we value different things.
If you value family time, but your goal is to move your body more by spend more time in the gym each day, there’s a misalignment between your goal and your value, since spending more time in the gym will likely mean spending less time with your family, which can cause you to feel like you’re being pulled in multiple directions as you try to manage both.
But, what if that goal was adjusted to align with your value? Instead of going to the gym, it’s taking family walks together after work or doing family dance parties in your living room after dinner. This allows for the goal to be more aligned with what’s important to you, which helps you stay more committed and less frazzled.
So How Can We Be Successful in Our Goals??
Look, without knowing you, your goals, your lifestyle, etc., it would be silly for me to even pretend like I could give you expert advice that will lead you to 100% success in your goals.
However, here are some of my favorite behavior-change tips that I use with my clients (and myself!):
Start small. Like really small. Even smaller than you think or maybe even want to. The easier the new task or habit is, the more likely you are to succeed. The more you succeed, the more self-efficacy you build (the ability for you to believe in yourself). The more self-efficacy you have, the more likely you are to stay committed.
Build in a contingency plan. It’s great to be optimistic, and, we’ve all been on this earth long enough to know that nothing ever goes to according to plan. So what if we planned for that? Had a back up plan for our original plan. Maybe your plan is to move your body for half an hour each day, but on days where that time gets cut short, your backup goal is 5 minutes.
Replace “All or Nothing” thinking with “All or Something”. We can be so quick to give up on our goals when we can’t commit to them 100%. Like when we plan to start a new habit at the beginning of the week, but Monday goes to shit, so we say “well, I guess this week is a wash. I’ll try again next week”. That’s the equivalent of dropping our cell phone on the ground, seeing it’s a little scratched, and instead of dusting it off and moving along, we choose to smash it with a hammer.
Loop in a Professional. No, this is not a shameless plug for my services. BUT, it is a reminder that there are people who have credentials and experience to help support you and your goals.
Here’s to a year of focusing on ourselves and our wellness, and doing it in a healthier, more sustainable way.
