We are only halfway through the first month of 2020 and New Year’s resolutions are quickly being forgotten or given up on. Seeing that it takes approximately three weeks to break a habit and up to two months to form a new one, there are certain behavioral patterns that are harder to shake than others. Here are some of the recurring failed New Year’s resolutions seen from year to year: 

Go to the gym
Once the clock strikes midnight and the new year has arrived, it is time to become reacquainted with that abandoned gym membership. But for many, it is only a matter of time before the kids’ soccer practice went late and dinner won’t cook itself or one’s homework load makes it impossible to get to the gym. Well, there is always next year to attain that summer bod … 

Eat right
The most appropriate time for self-induced food comas and sugar-overloads is Christmas and New Year’s. By the end of it all, eating right seems like a resolution that could actually stick. However, meal prep and healthy, home-cooked dinners become too time consuming. All of a sudden you have reverted to the quickest, easiest options: fast food and TV dinners.

Save money
Christmas is expensive. In 2019, a Gallup study showed that American adults spent approximately $920 on gifts, reaching a total of $1 trillion on holiday spending nationwide. It is understandable that people are eager to preserve what is left of their savings by the time the new year rolls around. But after the renewal of that gym membership and reverting to your fast-food diet, the idea of saving money starts to fade away. 

Spend more time with family
The holidays do a great job of reminding people about the importance of family time. It is common to want to remain in that holiday spirit long after it is gone. So, many promise themselves a weekly visit to catch up with the family. Sadly, life beckons and returning to your busy schedule makes this resolution far-fetched. Thank God for Facebook.

Read more
Knocking out a few books from your list of must-reads is more difficult than it seems. Reading for pleasure is quite the commitment, especially for students who have a stack of mandatory “classics” to get through by the end of the semester. After a long day of analyzing “Macbeth”, the only reading you’ll be doing are the subtitles on Netflix. But hey, it’s the thought that counts.

Journal
Wanting to sit down and reflect on life’s blessings and curses is the best way to stay present amidst all that the new year has to offer. But fast-paced days make “stopping to smell the roses” an unlikely habit to build. Besides, Tweeting your feelings by the hour is pretty much the same thing, right? 

Stop smoking
Whether it is cigarettes or vaping, smoking is one of the hardest resolutions to stay with. According to research from the Ontario Tobacco Survey, it takes an average of 30 attempts to quit smoking before the habit is successfully broken. Pledging to break one’s addiction to nicotine may end up coming back around more often than just in January.