Why New Year's resolutions fail—and how to make them stick

At the beginning of the new year many people make new year resolutions but struggle to keep them. New Year's goals are a way to hold yourself accountable, but can be frustrating when you don't reach them.

According to Steven Weisburg, a psychology professor at the University of Florida, a common reason people struggle with New Year’s resolutions is called "prospective memory." This is when individuals plan for the future without considering the mindset or circumstances they will be in when the time comes to act.

Weisburg offers some advice for people looking to stick with their resolutions. First, he recommends making goals more specific.

" It's okay to hit eight meals in a week, eight healthy meals, if your goal was 10. And what you should do the next week is to just continue making progress toward your goals rather than reflecting and just saying, 'Well, I failed one week, so therefore, I didn't achieve my New Year's resolution.'"

He also suggests following the SMART acronym for goal setting: Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic and Time-related.

Weisburg encourages people to be forgiving and to reflect on over all progress instead of a single failed moment.