Why Most New Year’s Resolutions Fail by March - and the Science of What Actually Works (#282)
12/30/202517 min
Most people quit their New Year's resolutions by March. The reason why might surprise you.
University of Chicago professor Ayelet Fishbach has spent decades studying why we fail at goals. Her finding: willpower is overrated. What matters is something entirely different.
In this episode, Fishbach reveals what actually separates those who succeed from those who quit and the strategies that make goals stick.
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsLynne Thomun· Host0:00
(bell dings) January 1st, we set a goal, get fit, save money, learn Spanish, write a book. By March, we've given up. It's not because we don't care. So what's the secret to following through? (instrumental music) Hi everyone. I'm Lynne Thomun and this is Three Takeaways. On Three Takeaways, I talk with some of the world's best thinkers, business leaders, writers, politicians, newsmakers, and scientists. Each episode ends with three key takeaways to help us understand the world and maybe even ourselves a little better. Today I'm excited to be joined by Ayelet Fishback. Ayelet is one of the world's leading experts on motivation. She's a professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and author of Get It Done. Her research has won major awards and her work appears everywhere from The New York Times to NPR. She spent decades studying one question, why do we start strong and then quit? More importantly, she's learned what actually works. If you've ever wondered why you procrastinate, why your resolutions fail, and what you can do differently, Ayelet has the answers. Welcome, Ayelet, and thanks so much for joining Three Takeaways today.
Ayelet Fishbach· Guest1:27
Thanks for having me.
Lynne Thomun· Host1:29
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