Why February Is the Best Month for New Year’s Resolutions

It might be the dreariest month of the year, but there are at least two things going for February: It’s short, and it’s not January.

February brings a reprieve from the pressures that come with the start of the year. The steady stream of gym advertisements eases up. Dry January ends, and bars get more of their customers back. For those of us already thinking about abandoning our New Year’s resolutions, the arrival of February may seem like tacit permission to give up.

If you haven’t made as much progress on your resolutions as you might like, psychologists stress that you shouldn’t be hard on yourself. “Life is about consistent, attainable healthy habits, or adding things into your life in manageable pieces,” said Thea Gallagher, a clinical psychologist and associate professor at NYU Langone Health.

Here’s how to keep working toward your goals, in February and throughout the year.

Reflect on your resolutions

It’s important to first think about whether you made the right resolution, said Tyler J. VanderWeele, an epidemiology and biostatistics professor and director of the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard. Reflect on what’s going right — and what’s not going so great — with your goals so far.

“Maybe I didn’t follow through because, actually this isn’t what’s most important to me right now,” Dr. VanderWeele said. Or maybe your resolution still feels important, but you’re struggling to stay committed. In that case, you might benefit from setting more achievable milestones.

Consider a goal that’s “almost embarrassingly manageable,” Dr. Gallagher said. She has challenged herself to read 10 minutes a day — which might not sound like much, but adds up over the week, she said. Instead of aiming for lofty goals, start low and go slow. It’s advice that marathon runners follow, and it helps them get over the finish line.

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