Quitter's Day: why January resolutions fade, and how to keep yours
A couple of weeks into January, a lot of new habits quietly stop. It's common enough to have a name. Here's where it comes from and what actually helps.
Where the name comes from
In 2018 Strava, the running and cycling app, looked at 31.5 million activities uploaded in January. It found that motivation dropped off around the second Friday of the month and called it Quitter's Day. In 2027, the second Friday of January falls on 8 January.
On the day Strava picked, uploads were 17.3 per cent below what it would normally expect for that day of the week. That's a drop in activity, not proof that most people gave up, but it matches what many of us feel by mid-January.
Sources: Cycling Weekly and BikeRadar, January 2018.
Why habits fade after two weeks
The first days of January run on novelty. By week two, the new routine has to compete with work, family and short winter days (or the hot holiday weeks, if you're in Australia), and the novelty has worn off.
It's also far too early for the habit to feel automatic. In the best-known study on habit formation, it took 66 days on average (see our guide to how long habits take). Two weeks in, you're still running on effort, so one busy day can feel like the end.
What helps you get past it
Set a goal with a date. Strava reported that 92 per cent of people who set a race goal in January were still exercising ten months later. A specific target gives a vague resolution something to aim at.
Do it with someone. Strava found people who exercised with others were more active than those who went it alone.
Shrink it on hard days. Ten minutes still counts. Keeping the routine alive matters more than any one session.
Expect to miss a day. One missed day barely changes how a habit forms (see what the research says about missed days). Deciding you've blown it is what ends most resolutions.
Plan for the wobble
Flaric, the iPhone habit tracker we make, is built for the second week of January as much as the first. When you miss a day it offers you a day off, so your progress stays put, and it shows how far you've come over weeks and months rather than only today.