McGonigal says when it comes to New Year’s resolutions, it’s not surprising that they are often broken by the second week of January: People come up with resolutions that don’t reflect what matters most to them, and that makes them almost guaranteed to fail. Even if that behavior could be very valuable and helpful—like exercise—if you start from the point of view of thinking about what it is you don’t really want to do, it’s very hard to tap into willpower. If there’s no really important “want” driving it, the brain system of self-control has nothing to hold on to. McGonigal suggests a few tips for making resolutions that stick: