We're halfway through 2024. Q3 has just begun. It’s likely you’ve forgetten, changed your mind about, or just completely given up on the goals you made back in January.

Don't be so hard on yourself. It's normal.

You’re just like 80% of the population. 

There are five key reasons why most people fail to uphold their promises to themselves.

1. Their resolution is not clearly defined. 
   “Lose weight” or “Exercise more” are good intentions, but it’s not exactly clear how you’re going to do that. Or when. Even “read one book” is closer, but how about which book and when you’ll be doing it?

2. You have no accountability 
   You’re making these resolutions, likely, because you’re already bad at it. If “stop smoking” were easy, you’d have done it by now. In order to change your behavior or pick up a new habit, you may need some extra accountability and support to make sure it happens.

3. The stakes aren’t set (or aren’t high enough) 
   What happens if you don’t accomplish this? Or what do you want to do to reward yourself when you do?

4. You’re Giving Up When Things Get Hard 
   It’s normal. Especially if you have no experience pushing yourself. But you can build up your resilience and resolve by practicing sticking with a task even when it gets hard. Ironically, sports and exercise are great examples.

5. You Don’t Recognize Incremental Progress 
   You’re not going to lose 10 pounds in a day or magically start a streak of going to bed early every night. There will be setbacks and missed days as you build your new habit and work towards your goal. Recognizing progress and accepting setbacks can help you push through when they do inevitably happen.
    

The good news is that you can work on all of these. Every day, Caveday members practice defining the task in front of them. We learn to break down big projects and work into smaller tasks that form a habit. We sit together in focus, holding each other accountable. We learn to build tolerance for that itch of distraction and stick with a task even when they’d rather not. And every Cave celebrates the small wins and incremental progress towards our goals. 

At Caveday, we’re helping people just like you build the skills and habits that lead to accomplishing your goals, no matter what they are. This year, follow through on what you said you’d do. We can help.

Caveday is a company aimed at improving your relationship to work. We write regular posts on Medium and send out monthly newsletters with productivity tips, life hacks, and recommendations. Sign up for the mailing list here.

Jake Kahana is a cofounder of Caveday. Sign up for his personal emails, called “The Email Refrigerator” here.