The one New Year’s resolution mistake we all make: Jasmine MacDonald’s tips to change habits

When it comes to making New Year’s resolution there is one simple mistake most of us make, a national psychology expert says. Here’s what you should do instead.

Don’t wait until New Year’s Day, start now, says Jasmine MacDonald.

It may well be the season for New Year’s resolutions but if you want to make your good intentions stick, forget the first day of January, says a national psychology expert.

Australian Institute of Family Studies research fellow Jasmine MacDonald says her “biggest tip” when it comes to wanting to change behaviour – whether that be taking up a healthy habit or letting go of a bad one – is “don’t wait till New Year’s Day”.

“This is a big trap people fall into,” Dr MacDonald said.

“New Year’s resolutions are popular for people to set but when we attach goals to an arbitrary day we set ourselves up to fail … people end up breaking them really quickly, within a couple of weeks,” she said.

“The best thing to do is to not say, ‘I’m going to go to the gym every day starting January’, it’s actually better to start now.

There’s a problem with linking a change of habits to New Year’s Day, a national psychology expert says.

“Do something really small, like go for a two minute run or do a basic, small, consistent, sustainable change that aligns with the person that you want to be, but isn’t unrealistic or unsustainable.”

Dr MacDonald says it is important to think about why you want to make the change – and how it will realistically fit into everyday life.

“(In psychology) we talk about ‘reducing the response cost’ … that basically means, how do you make the behaviour that you want to do way easier?

Australian Institute of Family Studies research fellow Jasmine MacDonald.

“So, if you want to exercise more, plan when you’re going to do that – if it’s in the morning, set out your workout clothes, water bottle and everything you’ll need the night before so it is the first thing you see when you wake up.

“On the flip side, if you want to decrease a behaviour … make it harder for yourself; for example, if you want to cut down on social media use, log out of your accounts every single time you use them.”

And, she says, surround yourself with people who will support you in your efforts: ”Find that social support … who are the people who are going to be on your team, hold you accountable and have your back?”

Start small and set realistic, achievable goals.

She also recommends setting goals, tracking progress and rewarding success – but leave aside self-punishment.

“A common one that I’ve heard is people who really enjoy a morning coffee, denying themselves this if they don’t exercise … this is important to avoid because it doesn’t help with motivation,” she said.