How many of our new years resolutions are still going strong in Feb, let alone the end of Jan?

Happy New year everyone! Are you ready for the 2026?

I feel excited by the year ahead! However, if you’d have asked me in December how I was feeling about 2026, my answer would have been very different. I was mentally, physically and emotionally drained, and on top of that I had a cold.

Catching a cold at the end of the year or just before a holiday is very common. We have gotten so good at pushing through and tolerating stress (which is incredibly energy intensive)  in order to get things done, but it does come at a cost. When a holiday or the end of year arrives we start to psychologically let go and stop fighting……and our body seizes the opportunity and does what it needs to to bring us back to homeostasis. The cold is part of the healing process.

Anyway, getting back to new years resolutions, do you love them or hate them? Whichever it is, here is your sustainable insights guide to change and forming new habits.

With a new year comes new energy and new intentions. And with the new energy and excitement, we can get carried away, and it can be counter productive and not sustainable. Let’s be honest, how many of our new years resolutions are still going strong in Feb, let alone the end of Jan?

# Energy, Emotions & Motivation

Forming habits are like rockets taking off. They are energy intensive at the start but once you’re into the atmosphere, aka a habit has moved from conscious to subconscious, you then benefit from less energy being used. The success of a habit being formed will be dependent on your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. These all feed each other so have a think about how you can use your strongest asset to positively influence the others.

Habits are also more successful with the right motivation…the WHY behind your habit. WHY is this particular habit important to you? What is your emotional connection to it? If you are emotionally bought in, success rates go up, so it’s worth spending 30 minutes being clear on your WHY for the habit and what you need to do to improve your emotional buy in.

As you may have experienced, there can be a honeymoon period where your motivation and energy is high, and the natural process is for this to change and fade. Don’t panic, this is where your output can then become more stable and sustainable.

The neuroscience is there to back up that It takes 66 days to form a new habit. Essentially this is the time it takes to move from our conscious brain to our subconscious. It won’t be a slog all the way, like life, there will be ups and downs. 66 days will be when the habit is automatic and a neurological rewiring has occurred.

The intensity of the habit you are trying to install will affect how hard it is to install and how much energy it will cost you. For example, eating one piece of fruit a day will take less effort and energy than 50 situps a day. Be mindful of this and it will help your planning and your success.

# Food for thought…..

• 95% of our day is spent in our subconscious.
• 70% of daily thoughts are identical to the day before…….70%!
• 40% of our behaviour is repeated daily……

With these these in mind, what would you change as a priority?

# Energy consumption & decision fatigue

Will power is a limited resource – why? Conscious choice requires more energy.

Resisting temptation and decision making take more energy and lead to decision fatigue.

This is why Steve Jobs, Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg wore the same outfits every day. Even lying in bed deciding whether to get up or hit snooze….will drain valuable energy and play a part in decision fatigue

Reducing the amount of decisions you have to make on a daily basis frees up that energy for more challenging decisions.

# Summing up and taking action

It’s better to do one thing well than 3 things averagely…..do you agree?

Less is more. Start small. Just do one thing. Don’t over think it, just do it.

You will see the ripple effect of installing one small habit.

Step by step:

• Pick a habit to form. Just one. Don’t get tempted to take on too much.
• Understand the science and energy of habit forming.
• Check in with your WHY. Emotional Buy-in = Strong Motivation = Success
• Take an internal audit – Mental, Emotional, Physical, Spiritual – How are you and which of these will you use to feed the others?
• Let go of expectations. Remove obstacles.  Keep it Simple. Make it easy for yourself
• Start!
• Take it day by day.
• Be KIND to yourself. If you get off track, don’t beat yourself up, come back to centre and carry on.

 

My intention is that this article gives you an understanding of habits and how to form them sustainably without overwhelming you with too much detail.

I am here to help you and your teams become happier, healthier and stronger.

You can check out other articles I have written here:

https://www.adaptandflow.co.uk/articles/

And the workshops and one2one support I offer here:

https://www.adaptandflow.co.uk/pricing/

 

I hope this has been useful, let me know whether it is, I am open to feedback…it will make me more resilient!

All the love and all the power

Damon

xx