Quitter’s Day: Strategies To Make Sure You Don’t Give Up

By the time mid-January rolls around, something predictable happens: your motivation drops, your routine wobbles and that surge of discipline and drive has faded. The second Friday of January has been dubbed “Quitter’s Day” for years because it’s when so many people abandon their New Year’s resolutions.

PSA: When your routine and motivation starts to crumble, that doesn’t mean you need to quit. It doesn’t mean you’re lazy, broken, or not cut out for your goals. It’s expected.

You don’t quit, you keep going - knowing and accepting it’s not going to be perfect. That’s the trick. So let’s talk strategy and get into the details of where you might be going wrong, and simple solutions to make sure you don’t quit.

Problem: Your goal was too big or fast

On 1 January, your goal to run 10km felt exciting and ambitious. After your first couple of runs, it felt impossible and exhausting, and you’re not making progress at the speed you expected.

Solution: Break your big goal into smaller goals

Hold onto your north star goal, but make lots of micro goals to tick off and celebrate more regularly along the way. Aim for running 3km without stopping, then 5km, and so on. You want clear markers that give you a hit of accomplishment and let you know you’re making progress.

Problem: You had a goal, but no plan

Choosing a Sweat program you want to complete from start to finish is a great goal, but it needs a bit more thought to actually make it happen.

Solution: Make a weekly or monthly plan of attack

Whatever your goal is, sit down before each week or month and map out the actions you’re going to take to achieve it. Perhaps that means adding your training to your calendar, doing meal prep on Sundays, or blocking out 30 minutes in each workday for a walk.

Problem: You don’t know your why

It’s normal to pick a generic goal or something everyone else is doing, without giving any thought to what’s actually driving you to achieve it. If achieving a goal doesn’t actually excite you, good luck sticking with it.

Solution: Figure out your why and choose your goals accordingly

So you want to go to the gym more often this year? Amazing - but why? To feel more confident in your skin? To have more strength and energy to keep up with your kids? To support your longevity? Make it personal and authentic to you. If you can’t think of a reason, you probably need a completely different goal you feel more connected to.

Problem: You expected perfection

You had a plan all laid out. You were ready to go. Then you slipped up and it felt like you failed. 

Solution: Expect imperfection 

The slip-ups are inevitable, but giving up isn’t. You’re going to have weeks when you’re too tired, sore or busy to stick to the original plan perfectly, and that’s ok. Stick to it imperfectly and keep going. If you don’t have time for a full workout in your program, find an Express workout from the On Demand tab. Consistency is what you’re aiming for.

Problem: You haven’t thought about an identity shift

With any goal, there’s often a big gap between where you are now and where you want to be. You want to be someone fit and strong, but right now you don’t feel like it, and that’s what’s making you want to quit. 

Solution: Remind yourself of who you want to be

Visualise the kind of person you want to be and what you’ll feel like when you achieve your goal. I want to be the kind of person who wakes up early to work out. I want to be the kind of person who goes for a walk on her lunch break. I want to be someone who inspires her kids. Every day, use that to drive your actions. Doing something you’ve never done before isn’t easy, and sometimes you have to fake it till you make it.

Problem: You kept it to yourself

Goals die so much faster when you keep them in your head, because there’s zero accountability. No one knew to begin with, so what does it matter if you quit?

Solution: Write your goals down and tell someone

Make your goals real by writing them on paper and putting them somewhere you can see them, then share them with your friends or family. If you can find someone who’s on a similar journey or is ready to hold you accountable, even better.

Staying power

You’ll want to quit, but you don’t have to. Make a plan, expect crappy days, ditch any goal that doesn’t excite you, and keep reminding yourself how good you’ll feel when you stick with it.