As we move into the fourth month of the year, how are your new year resolutions going? There’s a good chance that, if you made any, they’ve long since been consigned to the scrap heap.

But you’re not alone. While it’s common to feel very motivated when first making big changes, it’s easy to slip back into old habits and feel a sense of shame and failure.

However, willpower alone is rarely enough to instil proper, long-lasting change. Read on to discover the evidence-based approaches you could try instead.

Moving away from the cycle of slip-ups and shame, into a more productive, sustainable approach

According to the British Psychological Society, it can take between two and five months to form a habit that sticks (depending on what you’re trying to do and how you go about it). And relying on willpower alone to get you through until you’ve made lasting change is rarely a success.

Our preconceptions of willpower are often that we either “have it” or we don’t, or that it can somehow be created simply through a strong desire for change.

But willpower and self-control actually act like a muscle and can become fatigued and drained in the same way. As you go about your day making decisions – and often consciously resisting the urge to indulge – your mental energy is completely drained.

This is why you may find it easier to stick with your new habit earlier in the day but lack the mental resilience to continue into the evening and beyond.

Instead of subjecting yourself to a cycle of small triumphs followed by setbacks, here are some more sustainable ways to embed lasting change.

1. Start early in the day to harness your willpower

As outlined above, willpower is often stronger in the morning and weaker as the day goes by and you may want to leverage this. If you’re trying to make exercise a habit, for example, you may wake up thinking you’ll be fine to do it after work. But then, when the time comes, you’re tired, busy, or demotivated.

Instead, tap into your willpower while it’s there and do your exercise as soon as you’re up. You don’t have to do this forever, but it will help while you’re trying to turn your plan into an ingrained habit.

2. Remember, action precedes motivation

It could be easy to think that you need to wait to feel motivated before you start. But if you wait for motivation to strike out of the blue, you could be waiting a long time.

Rather, action will actually spur your momentum. So even if you don’t feel like exercising, spending 10 minutes learning a new language, or engaging with anything else you’re trying to turn into a habit, just do it anyway and the motivation will follow.

3. Start small

Trying to adopt something new takes time, and you’ll be far better served doing so incrementally than trying to make a big change, or lots of big changes, all in one go.

For example, if you’re trying to become more organised, find one task to start with, such as clearing out your inbox at the end of each working day. Or if you’re trying to eat better, make gradual changes by swapping one food at a time for a healthier option.

Trying to change everything at once can feel exciting at first, but the buzz will quickly fade, and you’re very likely to slip back into your old ways.

4. Be accountable

If you tell someone what you’re planning to do, it can help you feel more inclined to stick with it. Equally, you could join forces with a friend and spur each other on, for example, by sharing your step count at the end of each day. This makes it less easy to simply give up at the first hurdle.

5. Combine new habits with old ones

This is a good little trick. By harnessing something you already do every day, you can easily add small new actions alongside it. For example, when you brush your teeth in the morning, you could drink a glass of water afterwards, or write in your journal with your morning cup of tea. Essentially, take something that’s already a habit and use it to form a new one.

Get in touch

We’d love financial planning and regular reviews to become one of your habits. Please email us at info@servoprivatewealth.com or call 01444 715200, and we’ll be happy to help.

Please note

This article is for general information only and does not constitute advice. The information is aimed at individuals only.

All information is correct at the time of writing and is subject to change in the future.

Any links will direct to a third-party website and Servo Private Wealth is not responsible for the accuracy of the information or content contained within linked sites.

Approved by Best Practice IFA Group Limited on 12/03/2026.