Every year around this time, people make a list of do’s and don’ts to serve as a guide for the coming year. This is a tradition that dates back to the Babylonians era in the Bible.

Fitness and spiritual goals alongside career moves and love related endeavours is what you would typically find on a New Year resolution list, and to no surprise, its essence depreciates year after year.

When New Year resolutions first came into existence, the practice was meant to make promises to a higher spiritual being in hopes of gaining their favour. Today, however, New Year resolutions have been reduced to a list of mostly unrealistic expectations shared with peers on social media to create the impression that you’re up to something big.

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The infamous "new year new me” tagline starts seamlessly rolling off the tongue around this time. And while, to be fair, it could just be an over-the-top caption for a new hairstyle, more and more people are eager to entertain the perception that all the change they are after could be crumped up and achieved in 365 days or less. But why the drama? It’s only just a slight change on the calendar after all.

What happens after January?

Most people, even those that set resolutions for the right reasons, fall off that wagon after January. This begs the question; why get hitched to something you can’t see through?

Well intentioned goals set for the New Year often run out of fuel within the end of the first quarter. Ask the gyms how many people stop showing up for workouts mid February.

While this can sometimes be attributed to circumstances beyond one’s control, that isn’t always the case.

"One of the priority goals for me, this past year, was to increase my overall finances by 30%. But I wasn’t able to because inflation took over the economy,” said Jonathan Kamanzi.

"I really wanted to grow spiritually this year but I couldn’t be bothered to make it to church most Sundays mostly because I couldn’t wake up on time. I don’t recall referring back to the list of resolutions I made when the year began but I think I would have managed my time better if I did,” said William Intwari.

The thing with these expectations is that their life cycle barely progresses from that point. Person A wants to achieve their fitness goals after only going to the gym once in two weeks. Person B wants to snatch a promotion without proving themselves worthy and putting in the work. Person C wants to achieve their financial goals despite their irregular or irrational spending habits. And the thing they all have in common is that they don’t do much after the goals are set.

How to get better

Self-awareness, really, is key.

If you know you’re not the type to stick to something long term, maybe don’t leap to a 365 day commitment.

Make short term goals that will gradually add up to the bigger picture as time progresses. For example, aiming to read a chapter a day instead of five books a month, might make more sense.

"I started a workout plan this year and I couldn’t afford it around the summer. My wallet got back to normal in August. I planned to return but never actually did. I’m thinking of doing this with a friend next year to stay on track,” says Samantha Isimbi.

Sharing your goals with a trusted party that can hold you accountable on the regular is also prone to break the pattern of inconsistency.

However, this all doesn’t happen without being true to yourself by not biting off more than you can chew, and planning realistically.