New Haven

New year, new goals: How to beat ‘National Quitter's Day'

NBC Universal, Inc.

It’s a day named after those who give up on their New Year’s resolutions, but experts day there are ways to overcome the urge to give up.

Did you know there is a day where many people collectively abandon their New Year’s resolutions?

National Quitter’s Day is observed on the second Friday of January. In 2025 it fell on January 10th.

Dr. Tobias Wasser, chair of psychiatry at the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University, said some of the reasons people abandon their resolutions is because they set goals that are overly ambitious or unrealistic. 

“When you start off too big, too vague and without anything to help buffer, people typically get overwhelmed, they don’t get very far and they give up before they ever really started,” said Dr. Wasser.

Instead, he recommends people try setting specific goals along with developing a plan to accomplish it.

“Most people for example might say 'I’m going to exercise more in 2025,' as opposed to, saying 'I’m going to choose to exercise for 5 minutes per day for the first week and then 10 mins per day for the next week' and so on,” Dr. Wasser said. 

At Ascent New Haven, a gym that offers rock climbing, Rachel Larosa can be found training a couple of times a week.

Larosa said her goal this year is to climb the wall more comfortably and go up in difficulty level.

“I’ve definitely been focusing more on training than I was at the end of the year, I was climbing more for fun."

She added she is feeling confident with her New Year's resolution, since over the past year her training landed her on UConn's climbing team.

More tips from Quinnipiac's school of medicine for sustaining New Year’s resolutions: 

  • Practice “Habit Stacking”: Link a new goal you want to achieve to a habit you already do regularly, using the established routine as a trigger to prompt you to perform the new behavior.
  • Find Support: Share your goals with friends or family who can help hold you accountable.
  • Track Progress: Keep a journal or use an app to monitor progress and celebrate small wins.
  • Be Kind to Yourself: If you slip up, don’t give up. Use setbacks as learning opportunities and recommit to your goals.
Contact Us