As the new year begins, many students set resolutions hoping to improve themselves, but most of those goals don’t last very long. Students say unrealistic expectations, busy schedules, and lack of consistency are the main reasons resolutions fail.

Senior Grant Hebert said one of the biggest mistakes people make is setting goals that are unrealistic.

“I think the biggest mistake people make when making New Year’s resolutions is that they set goals that are unreasonable for themselves,” Hebert said, “or that aren’t going to be achieved without insane levels of discipline.”

While students at Kingwood Park see this pattern firsthand, national data shows the trend is widespread. According to a recent YouGov survey, 31% of Americans say that they planned to make a New Year’s resolution for 2026. Despite how common resolutions are, many people struggle to maintain them throughout the year.

Senior Caitlin McLain added that passionate goals can lead to frustration when students don’t see fast results.

“I definitely think a big mistake is when people aim too high and they’re too ambitious with their New Year’s resolutions,” McLain said. “When they don’t make it, they can feel really dejected and they just quit.”

Students shared examples of resolutions they struggled to keep. Senior Joaquin White said that  he once tried to completely stop eating junk food and eat healthier, but realized it was not realistic.

“It wasn’t something that was possible for me,” White said. “Sometimes I go out with friends and sometimes my parents would buy food and it wasn’t really like a realistic goal.”

Hebert said he once made a goal to get into the best shape of his life but eventually gave up.

“It just never really worked out for me because I just got lazy,” Hebert said.

McLain shared that her resolution this year was to help her mom cook dinner more often, but she struggled to keep up.

“I got too busy and now I haven’t helped her cook dinner in a while,” McLain said, “but hopefully I’ll get back on my grind and help her more.”

Instead of extreme changes, all three students said realistic resolutions should focus on small and flexible habits. White said building small routines makes goals easier to maintain.

“You could start by doing small habits every day,” White said. “Maybe eating healthy a few times a week instead of every day.”

Hebert agreed, suggesting simple daily actions.

“Maybe you set a reminder on your phone to do 10 or 20 push-ups every day,” Hebert said. “Just start small and slowly build a habit.”

McLain said flexibility is just as important as consistency.

“For me, I’d say something that is adjustable,” McLain said. “You don’t have to do it every single day. You can do it on your own time so you don’t get stressed out by it.”

Each student shared a resolution that did work. White said one successful goal for him was getting closer to his faith by doing a daily Bible verse.

“I downloaded the Bible app and used it to track my progress,” White said. “Starting small was one of them.”

He added that not quitting after mistakes helped him stay consistent.

“Not being too hard on myself when I did slip up,” White said.

McLain said one resolution that worked for her was reading more.

“Last year I made a resolution to read like 50 books in a year and it worked,” McLain said. “I didn’t force myself to. I did it when I wanted to.”

Accountability also played a role in keeping goals on track. White said reminders help him stay disciplined.

“I’ve got a notification on my phone to remind me to pray at 5:30,” White said.

Hebert said he relies on others for support.

“I told a close friend what I wanted to do and had him ask me how it was going,” Hebert said. “That was very helpful for me.”

When it comes to tracking progress, students had different approaches. White said checking goals daily helps build awareness.

“Daily might be best for a lot of people,” White said.

McLain, however, prefers a less stressful method.

“I’d say weekly is pretty good,” McLain said. “Daily can be really stressful because sometimes you have days where you don’t feel like doing anything.”