The arrival of February brings with it the abandonment of many New Year’s resolutions. More than 40 percent of Americans who made resolutions give them up within weeks of Jan. 1, according to the Stanford Graduate School of Education.

From busy schedules to setting unrealistic goals, different factors keep people from sticking to their resolutions each year — lack of time being a primary reason for students.

Freshman Kiana Parrott, a health and exercise science major, planned on going to the fitness center more this semester, but hasn’t followed through.

“I’ve just been too busy with classes, and haven’t really been focused,” she said. “I haven’t had the time, really, to go.”

Senior psychology major Jessica Puro also wanted to work out more this year, but said her plans haven’t come to fruition so far.

“(I blame) no time, and laziness,” she said.

Puro said she makes a resolution almost every year, but usually ditches them after a while.

While some students struggle with finding time for their goals, others’ habits got in the way of their resolutions.

“I made a resolution to answer people’s text messages more, because I never answer them,” said sophomore advertising major Sabrina Ghantous. “But I didn’t follow up on that.”

Ghantous, who doesn’t usually make resolutions, said that her goal was too idealistic, and that it’s a habit that she just can’t break.

Fear of failure itself kept other students from making any resolutions in the first place.

“I actually didn’t make any because I kind of knew I wasn’t going to keep up with it,” said sophomore Jada O’Neal, computer engineering major. “I kinda just feel like, if I’m reminding myself of it, I’m probably just going to break it anyway.”

O’Neal said that by not making a resolution, the disappointment that comes with failing to follow through can be avoided from the start.

Alana Franceski, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences said she also thinks making New Year’s resolutions is pointless. “Most of the time we usually give up on them, so I figured I’d just change my lifestyle rather than just make a New Year’s resolution,” she said.

Like Puro and O’Neal, Franceski blames lack of time and laziness for the futility of sticking to a New Year’s resolution.

“Usually there’s just not enough time,” she said. “Or just usually thinking that you’ll do it, but ending up not just due to not wanting to follow through or becoming lazy, which is usually the case with me.”

Published on January 31, 2017 at 10:47 pm

Contact Lucy: lmnaland@syr.edu