Post Reports: The trick to making New Year’s resolutions stick

Summary

Podcast Summary:

The 7 (Host: The Washington Post)
Episode: "Post Reports: The trick to making New Year’s resolutions stick"
Air Date: January 19, 2026
Host: Martine Powers
Guest: Maggie Penman (Reporter & Host, Post’s Optimist Podcast)

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Episode Overview

In this special episode of "Post Reports," host Martine Powers is joined by optimistic reporter Maggie Penman to explore the science behind making New Year's resolutions stick—especially when motivation fades and goals go off track. Backed by insights from behavioral researchers, they break down practical approaches for reframing and achieving personal goals in 2026, featuring strategies like temptation bundling and the buddy system. The tone is encouraging, lightly humorous, and grounded in real-life struggles.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why New Year’s Resolutions Still Matter

• Many people, including the hosts, confess to failing most of their resolutions each year.
• Despite the high failure rate, simply setting goals yields positive outcomes.
  • Maggie Penman (02:20):
    "Setting resolutions, even if we don't meet them, is actually really good for us. It makes us more likely to improve."
• The act of aiming for improvement matters more than ticking off every box.

2. Understanding ‘Quitter’s Day’

• The second Friday in January is nicknamed "Quitter's Day," marking when most people have already abandoned their resolutions.
  • Maggie Penman (04:10):
    "Tomorrow is quitters day. The second Friday in January is the day when many people have already given up."
• Emphasizes that failing early is common and should not discourage effort.

3. Setting Realistic and Enjoyable Goals

• Reframe goals to be enjoyable:
  • Goals have a higher chance of success if they're enjoyable in the present, not just desirable in the abstract.
  • Instead of negative framing (e.g., “don’t eat cookies”), focus on positive, additive goals (e.g., “eat more fruit for dessert”).
• Fit goals to your actual life:
  • Avoid setting resolutions that turn you into a different person; build on what you actually enjoy.
  • Maggie Penman (07:23):
    "Rather than trying to make myself a runner, what I realized is, like, I need to lean into the kinds of exercise I actually do enjoy. And suddenly it's not this thing that I need a ton of willpower to make myself go do."

4. The Buddy System

• Accountability and social motivation:
  • Bringing friends into your goals increases your chances of sticking with them.
  • Research shows people who exercised with a buddy showed up 35% more frequently.
    • Maggie Penman (10:13):
      "It actually really works to commit to something with a friend. So, again, like... one is this commitment device, which is basically, you know, your friend's gonna be waiting for you, you wanna show up for them. You have a little bit of accountability there."
  • Social elements make the activity more enjoyable and less of a chore.

5. Temptation Bundling

• Pair unpleasant tasks with pleasure:
  • Example: Only allowing yourself to listen to a favorite audiobook at the gym.
  • Katie Milkman’s advice (summarized by Penman at 12:40):
    "She calls this temptation bundling... if there is, like, a TV show that you really enjoy watching, like, maybe you only watch it at the gym... Or if, you know, you need to write your will or make a budget, can you just, like, have the most delicious meal while you do it?"
• Makes dreaded tasks more appealing and repeatable.

6. Tackling Necessary (But Unpleasant) Tasks

• Take advantage of the motivational energy of the new year for one-off, important tasks (e.g., scheduling medical exams).
  • Penman (13:52):
    "Rather than trying to change your life for the whole year... what can you do that takes advantage of that moment?... get those things done, and then the rest of the year, you can, you know, relax a little bit..."

7. Workshopping Specific Goals—Practical Application

• Reframe goals to positive actions:
  • Instead of “stop going to bed so late,” aim for the positive: “enjoy falling asleep earlier,” with routines that make bedtime desirable.
  • Example of bedtime routine: Cozy socks, sound machine, podcasts, etc.
• Choosing fun or guilty pleasure forms of a goal:
  • For reading more, allow yourself to read what you truly enjoy, not just what you “should.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Progress Rather Than Perfection
  "So maybe you didn't meditate for a thousand minutes, but you meditated for 24, which is more than I meditated for, I can tell you." — Maggie Penman (02:27)

• On Reframing Goals "It's really hard to enjoy avoiding something. So if your goal is, like, stop eating cookies, like, that's just gonna be kind of a bummer of a goal. But if your goal is eat more fruit for dessert, then suddenly you have this, like, enjoyable, delicious goal to look forward to." — Maggie Penman (06:34)

• On Empathizing with Your Current Self "We do find that the future self is much... we have much less empathy to that person than the person we are now...think about yourself now and what you enjoy doing." — Maggie Penman (08:35)

• On Social Motivation "How can we use our neuroses for the power of good?" — Maggie Penman (10:33)

• On Adult Bedtime "Put yourself to bed the way you would put your baby or your toddler to bed... can you put yourself to bed?" — Maggie Penman (15:43)

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Key Timestamps

• 00:44 — Host admits her past resolution failures, sets the stage for the discussion.
• 02:20 — Maggie explains the value of setting resolutions even if you fail.
• 04:10 — Explanation of "Quitter's Day" and why early goal failure is common.
• 06:34 — Importance of reframing goals to make them positive and enjoyable.
• 07:23/08:35 — Realization that goals must fit your real self, not an idealized future self.
• 10:13 — Research on the effectiveness of the buddy system for accountability.
• 12:40 — Introduction to "temptation bundling" as a strategy for tough tasks.
• 13:52 — How to use early-year motivation for necessary, unpleasant tasks.
• 15:43/16:17 — Workshopping real resolutions: reframing bedtime and building routines.

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Takeaways

• Set realistic, enjoyable, present-focused goals.
• Leverage social motivation (buddy system) and accountability.
• Use temptation bundling to pair stressful or boring tasks with enjoyable ones.
• Reframe “avoidance” goals to additive goals.
• Don’t aim for total transformation; small improvements count.

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Final Note:
The episode offers empathetic, research-driven guidance for anyone looking to revamp their goal-setting and stick to their New Year's resolutions—emphasizing optimism, realism, and self-kindness.

Transcript

[A]

Hi, it's Hannah. I hope you're having a great long weekend. The seven podcast team is off for MLK Day, but I wanted to share an episode of Post Reports with you that I hope you'll find useful. It's about New Year's resolutions and what to do if yours have already gone off the rails. No judgment. The Post's optimist, reporter, Maggie Penman, shares the science on how to make your New Year's resolutions, whatever they are, stick in 2026. Like the practice of temptation bundling or implementing a buddy system, Maggie will explain it all. Here's the show. Maggie, have you heard my approach to resolutions?

[B]

I have not my hat.

[A]

So every year I just make so many New Year's resolutions. So I have like 30 resolutions every year. Oh, my God, it's like a whole page of them. And then when I look back at the end of the year, I'm like, okay, well, at least I did like four or five, so there's some success there. All right. But I think last year was particularly bad for me. You're hearing me talk with reporter Maggie Penman, a familiar voice on Post Reports as host of our weekly Optimist podcast. Today, we're talking about New Year's resolutions. Maybe you love making them, maybe you loathe them. Either way, I have not been feeling so great about achieving resolutions lately. I was looking back through my 2025 resolutions. I had read 20 books, 15 books before baby, five books after baby. Definitely did not happen. I also. The one that I think is the most indicative of my, like, incredible hubris going into this was I was gonna meditate 1000 minutes in 2025, and I looked back and I meditated for 24 minutes the whole year.

[B]

Okay, so I have some thoughts about this.

[A]

I brought Maggie in because she has discovered some research backed strategies that she says can really help us hack our resolutions to actually succeed at them, no matter how disappointed you might feel about your, ahem, previous attempts.

[B]

First of all, I think it's great that you're setting resolutions and.

[A]

Thanks, Maggie.

[B]

What I have learned in reporting on this is that setting resolutions, even if we don't meet them, is actually really good for us. It makes us more likely to improve. So maybe you didn't meditate for a thousand minutes, but you meditated for 24, which is more than I meditated for, I can tell you. So.

[A]

So really it was a win for 2025.

[B]

Right. Like, I think, you know, whatever the bar is, you are working towards something which is really helpful. But I also will tell you I have some, like, just gentle feedback on some of those resolutions because I've talked to some researchers about how we can reframe to set ourselves up for success, and they have some really helpful tips.

[A]

Well, I can't wait to hear them. From the newsroom of the Washington Post, this is Post Reports. I'm Martine powers. It's Thursday, January 8th. Today, the case for New Year's resolutions. I talk with Maggie about how to trick ourselves into making them stick according to science in 2026. Hi, Maggie. Welcome to the show.

[B]

Thank you for having me on.

[A]

So we're here today talking about New Year's resolutions. And I think perhaps the fact that I struck out with all my resolutions last year is.

[B]

Let's not say struck out. Let's say, you know, you're still working towards some of these.

[A]

But I think that that's how a lot people feel about resolutions, that they're sort of bound to fail, that there's not really a purpose in making them at all, and that it's like, you know, everyone says that they're gonna go to the gym and eat healthier, and then, you know, three days later, all of these goals have been abandoned. So what is the case that you're making for? Why resolutions are actually a good thing that people should be doing?

[B]

So I think you're right, first of all, that we often fail at our New Year's resolutions. I actually just learned that tomorrow is quitters day. The second Friday in January is the day when many people have already given up.

[A]

This is the thing. Yes, Quitters day.

[B]

Yes. It's like the day by which a lot of people have already given up, which I find amazing, because I haven't even started. Like, I have ideas for what I want my resolutions to be, but I'm still working up to them. But some of them are done.

[A]

I feel like we should just end the conversation there. Forget about it.

[B]

People are like, I'm out. I'm out. So you're right that a lot of times we don't meet our goals. But what I learned from the researchers that I talked to for this story is that setting goals is still helpful, because even if you don't accomplish all of the things you set out to do, even making some progress towards your goals is still great. And they. They had some really good advice on how we can do better.

[A]

Yeah, let's dive into that. Like, I would love to start with just conceiving of the goals in the first place. I mean, as you said, like, you haven't decided on your goals for this year? I'm still working on my list of 30 is a lot to get through.

[B]

You're gonna be working on those for a while.

[A]

So how do you. How do you actually make the goals better?

[B]

So one of the things that the researchers suggested, first of all, is you're much more likely to actually fulfill your goals if they are enjoyable for you in the moment, as opposed to just something you long term aspire to. So I think this is where a lot of us get into trouble, because we're like, oh, I'm going to, like, save so much money. I'm going to go to the gym every day. I'm only going to eat salmon and vegetables. I'm never going to eat another cookie again. And it's like, those aren't really realistic goals. And they also aren't goals that are particularly fun to work towards. Yeah. So what I heard from researchers is it's not that we should set different goals, but we should just think about how to reframe them and think about how to practice them in ways that will actually be enjoyable.

[A]

Can you give an example of what that looks like? Because I feel like when you say fun goals, I'm like, the fun goal would be eat more cookies.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And it doesn't seem like that's what we need to be doing.

[B]

Right. So one thing they suggested that I found really useful is, like, it's really hard to enjoy avoiding something. So if your goal is, like, stop eating cookies, like, that's just gonna be kind of a bummer of a goal. But if your goal is eat more fruit for dessert, then suddenly you have this, like, enjoyable, delicious goal to look forward to. And you can look forward to those strawberries and raspberries and blueberries. And, like, maybe you sometimes eat a cookie, too, but you're still working towards your goal of eating more fruit.

[A]

Interesting. So it's more additive. That it's like, have more of this thing. And you like this thing because Frito's great, and the cookies will solve themselves. Yes.

[B]

And the thing that I always think about when I think about this research is like, for years and years and years, I tried to make myself be a runner. And every year, I feel like we've.

[A]

Talked about this before.

[B]

Every year I was like, this is going to be my year. I'm going to sign up for a race. I'm going to join a running club. Like, I'm going to make myself a runner. And it turns out I don't like running. And so Rather than trying to make myself a runner, what I realized is, like, I need to lean into the kinds of exercise I actually do enjoy. And suddenly it's not this thing that I need a ton of willpower to make myself go do. If I want to go, like, dance to music with people in a room, like, that is something I look forward to and enjoy.

[A]

Interesting. So in some ways, it is about also not just reframing the goal, but making sure that the goal actually fits with a life that you will enjoy in the future.

[B]

Exactly. So one of the researchers put it in a way that really resonated with me. Ayelet Fischbach at the University of Chicago, who studies behavioral science, said that we tend to have a very robotic view of our future selves. Me right now is doing what's fun and engaging, but me next month, she's going to do what's good for her. She's going to have it together somehow.

[A]

Exactly. Yes.

[B]

So we do find that the future self is much. We have much less empathy to that person than the person we are now. Where, like me now, I love cookies and Netflix. But like me in the future, I'm going to be this, like, totally different person. And so think about yourself now and what you enjoy doing. And are there ways you can lean more into the things that are good for you that you enjoy and maybe lean away from the things that don't long term make you feel good?

[A]

That's really smart. What else is there in terms of how you can make Kohl's better and actually make this whole resolution thing work for you?

[B]

So another one that I really liked is what I think of as the buddy system. So this is one that works for me. I feel like I am very motivated by other people. And if I decide to go to the gym with someone, then I know my friend is there waiting for me, and I don't want to stand them up. And there actually was some great research about this. Cynthia Kreider and her colleagues at WashU in St. Louis did a study where basically they asked people to sign up with a friend, and they either were assigned to a group where they just had to show up at the gym and they would get a dollar for every day that they did that. And then there was another group where you had to show up at the gym with your friend to get your dollar. So you would think, like, okay, wow, that's like a big logistical hurdle to have to match your schedule with someone and coordinate and both get there at the same time. But the people who had to show up with a friend went to the gym 35% more frequently. So.

[A]

Interesting.

[B]

It actually really works to commit to something with a friend. So, again, like.

[A]

Cause I always think about the. Yeah. Like the logistics of that. Oh. You know, but what happens if something comes up at work and then I'm gonna go to the gym a little bit later than I would have otherwise, and then I have to, like, text this person and then feel responsible to them, and I don't need another person in my Depending on me to do things.

[B]

Yeah. But I think it works for a couple of reasons. One is this commitment device, which is basically, you know, your friend's gonna be waiting for you, you wanna show up for them. You have a little bit of accountability there. Right. You're not just letting yourself down, you're letting your friend down. And, like, I personally find that very motivating as a people pleaser. So. So it's like, how can we use our neuroses for the power of good? And then I think the other part of it is it's just more fun to do things with friends. Like, you're gonna have a better time if you're going on a walk with a friend rather than going for a walk alone, probably. So I think that's added incentive.

[A]

That's a great idea. After the break, how to use a trick called temptation bundling to make dreaded tasks delightful. Plus, Maggie and I workshop our own 2026 resolutions with this newfound wisdom. We'll be right back. So, Maggie, we're talking about resolutions, why they fail, how they can be better. One thing that I've thought about in the past that I don't know if you endorse as a strategy is bribery. Like, if I can bribe myself to.

[B]

I'm a toddler. I love bribery. This is the only way I ever get my daughter in her stroller.

[A]

Did that come up in your research on this at all? Like, the idea of. Of bribing yourself, getting other people to bribe you?

[B]

Absolutely. So this researcher, Katie Milkman, who is a professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, basically realized that she was bribing herself into exercising. She was a former athlete, but when she was in grad school, she was just having a really hard time motivating herself to go to the gym. And. And she realized that she could make herself go if she only let herself listen to Harry Potter audiobooks while she was at the gym. So, like, suddenly.

[A]

Or she takes the thing that she really wants to do, that's the guilty pleasure or whatever. And that she pairs that with the thing that she doesn't really want to do that much.

[B]

Exactly. And she calls this temptation bundling. And she has studied it.

[A]

It sounds so delicious. It's temptation bundle.

[B]

Yeah, just like bundle in some temptation. Something really lovely with the thing that, you know you need to do.

[A]

Right.

[B]

So she suggests, you know, like, if there is, like, a TV show that you really enjoy watching, like, maybe you only watch it at the gym, or if, you know, you need to write your will or make a budget, can you just, like, have the most delicious meal while you do it? Or if, you know, you need to spend more time with, you know, a relative or neighbor, can you invite them to do something you know you're going to really enjoy anyway?

[A]

That's a good idea. I'm already having.

[B]

So Martine's relatives are going to know when they get invited to a really nice restaurant.

[A]

What's happening here? Well, not name names, but just to be clear. I mean, I know that there is a certain amount of reframing that you're suggesting, but I think there are just some things that we have to get done that kind of suck. What is your advice for things that you want to get done this year that you want to make sure happen but are just not fun parts of life?

[B]

Yeah, this was something I really liked. A piece of advice from Katie Milkman, and she does say that this time of year is a time when a lot of us feel motivated to make changes in our life. And rather than trying to change your life for the whole year or, you know, like, trying to really reshape your whole life, what can you do that takes advantage of that moment? So she said, you know, this is a great time of year to, like, schedule a colonoscopy, get a mammogram, like, do these things that, you know you need to do that aren't going to be the most fun things, but you're feeling a little more motivated than usual to, like, take your health seriously this time of year. So this is a great time of year to check those boxes, get those things done, and then the rest of the year, you can, you know, relax a little bit, knowing that you've gotten that done.

[A]

So, Maggie, maybe you can help me troubleshoot some of my goals for this year that I've been at least pondering putting on my extensive list. And I'm thinking, like, okay, what's number one on the list? I think my big priority is stop going to bed so late. Like, that's. I just feel like 11, 11:30 midnight. I'm like, why am I up this late? How would you think about me kind of maximizing my transfer success with the, with the stop going to bed late resolution.

[B]

Okay, so I would say start by reframing it as a positive. So can you think about getting to bed earlier rather than stopping doing something? The research basically found that, like, even though that's a subtle reframe, it actually does matter if you phrase your goal as avoiding something versus, like, moving towards something.

[A]

Oh, interesting. Enjoy falling asleep at 9pm Exactly.

[B]

Well, the next thing I was going to say is, like, how can you make your bedtime routine as, like, delicious as possible? Like, can you get yourself some, like, fuzzy socks that are gonna be so cozy to put on? Can you get yourself a little sound machine? Like, one of the pieces of advice I've heard from sleep experts is like, put yourself to bed the way you would put your baby or your toddler to bed. So you probably have the, like, the loveliest little routine for your child, right, where, like, he gets a bath, he gets his little jammies, he's read a story, and then like, he has a sound machine and like, a perfect little nightlight and like, can you put yourself to bed?

[A]

Same way I would love somebody to read a story, go to bed.

[B]

Well, that's what podcasts are, right?

[A]

That's true.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. So, like, yeah, can you make a little routine for yourself and build in time for just a little bit of, like, self care and make it into something that you look forward to?

[A]

Yeah, that's a great idea. What are your resolutions that you're at least thinking on for the coming year?

[B]

So one of my big ones this year is I really want to start volunteering regularly again. This is something that used to be a big part of my life, and then lots of things got in the way and I have not been volunteering at all recently. So as I was thinking about this goal with this research in mind, I was texting a friend of mine who I know volunteers regularly for a great organization in D.C. and I was like, hey, like, can I come with you next time? And I think that's a way to make it social, make it something that I know I will enjoy because I enjoy hanging out with this person. And then also again, there's like that little bit of accountability, a little commitment device to you don't want this person.

[A]

To think, oh, Maggie is a flake.

[B]

Really letting me down.

[A]

Yeah, exactly.

[B]

So I think, you know, in thinking about your goals, I wonder for your goals if there are ways to make them fun. Like you mentioned, you want to read more. Like, what are the guilty pleasure books that you're like, oh, well, I don't want to read more of that. I want to read more important books. Like, let yourself read whatever it is you are most drawn to. Or like, what are the ways that you can make these goals, things that are like, actually going to sound fun to you in the moment, as opposed to goals that are like, oh, what a drag. I have to, like, go do my homework and, like, read all these important books and, you know, eat all these vegetables. It's like, well, are there ways that this could actually be a really pleasurable thing?

[A]

Maggie, thank you so much for sharing all of this wonderful advice.

[B]

I'm here for you and I'm happy to be your accountability buddy. If you want, we can text each other about our resolutions. Text me next month and be like, have you volunteered yet?

[A]

100%. I will do that. I'm putting that in my calendar right now.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

Maggie Penman is a reporter with the Post's Optimist section, covering hopeful stories about humanity. You can hear her stories and Post reports every week. Today's episode was produced by Alana Gordon and edited by Dennis Funk. It was mixed by Sam Behr. Thank you to Allison Klein and Teresa Timkins. If you like what you heard in today's show, we'd love to hear about it. Send us a [e-mail] and of course, we'd love if you leave a review on your podcast app, which helps other people discover all the good that's happening on our show. I'm Martine Powers. We'll be back tomorrow with more stories from the Washington Post. Good journalism is even better when it's shared. With a premium subscription to the Washington Post, you get three extra accounts to share with friends and family so they can stay informed, too. Right now, you can get a premium subscription to the post for $6 every four weeks. Just $6 unlocks trusted reporting to share with other people in your life. After your first six months, it'll cost.

[B]

$19 every four weeks. You can cancel anytime.

[A]

Head over to washingtonpost.com subscribe and get premium access to the Washington post today. That's washingtonpost.com subscribe.