The Ingenious Reason You Should Start Your New Year's Resolutions In December

A brand new year is almost here and that means a lot of us are thinking about what we want to do differently in 2024. Though we may have big plans to make big changes, sticking to a new year’s resolution is often easier said than done.

A recent study found that of the 44% of Americans who were likely or very likely to make a resolution, 55% kept their resolutions for less than a year, 11% kept them going at least six months, 14% made it at least three months, 19% lasted at least one month, and 11% were resolute for less than a month.

So, if we’re serious about launching a new routine or project on Jan. 1 — whether it’s a fitness regimen, eating better, improving our mental health or finally learning a new language — how can we improve the odds that we’ll still be doing it a year (or more) later?

Robin Arzón says the secret is to start on Dec. 1.

The Peloton superstar, a two-time New York Times best-selling author who just released a self-empowerment journal entitled “Welcome, Hustler” and is the founder of Swagger Society, recently joined us, Raj Punjabi and Noah Michelson, co-hosts of HuffPost’s “Am I Doing It Wrong?” podcast, to talk about how to make big life changes, including the strategy behind launching her #3for31 challenge, which involves committing to 30 minutes of movement a day, every day in December (for more info and to join the challenge, sign up for Arzón’s newsletter, The Pivot).

“This is cobbling together 30 minutes in a 24-hour period every day from Dec. 1 to Dec. 31 — traditionally the busiest time of the year for a lot of folks,” Arzón, who debuted the program in 2012, told us. “It is a really robust time of year and you prove to yourself that you can do it. If you can do that for 31 days, then how dare you tell yourself that you can’t during other seasons of your life?” 

Though #3for31, which now involves thousands of participants, is specifically centered around movement, Arzón emphasized this mindset can apply to any new project or adventure we want to tackle.

“It sets us up to establish what the starting line is before the [new] year even begins,” she said. “For me, January 1 is just another day, because I’ve been doing it. I stay ready. I want folks to get a glimpse of that. I say #3for31 is a love letter to yourself, because doing something for yourself, even when it’s hard — especially when it’s hard — for 31 days is really, really a testament to your tenacity, and that will serve you in every other area of your life.”

During our chat with Arzón, we also learned about the very first step she takes whenever she’s ready to make a big (or little) change, how she’s transformed discomfort into a useful “companion,” and much more:

After you’ve had a listen above or wherever you get your podcasts, subscribe to “Am I Doing It Wrong?” so you don’t miss a single episode, including our investigations of the ins and outs of tipping, how to score the best deals on airline tickets, slaying your next trip to the grocery store, apologizing, vanquishing your credit card debt, finding love online,online shopping, and overcoming anxiety.

Need some help with something you’ve been doing wrong? Email us at AmIDoingItWrong@HuffPost.com, and we might investigate the topic in an upcoming episode.