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FriJan 17

Ditch New Year's Resolution Day – January 17, 2025

Grab some ice cream, skip that workout, and spend more time on your phone on Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day on January 17! If all your grand resolutions for the year have started to seem unrealistic or more of a chore than actual commitment, then today is your guilt-free opportunity to scrap these resolutions and run for the hills!

History of Ditch New Year's Resolution Day

There’s not a lot of history behind this holiday, as it is quite unofficial, but there are plenty of reasons backing this day’s coming into existence. Did you know that one in three people fail their New Year’s resolutions in the first month? And only 10% of people are successful at keeping their resolutions throughout the year? According to a study by the University of Scranton, an estimated 80% of people don’t stick to their resolutions. 

Ditching New Year’s resolutions has been a practice for almost as long as New Year’s Resolutions themselves. Beginning with the ancient tradition of making resolutions for the new year at the Babylonian festival of Akitu over 4,000 years ago, the Earth completing a single orbit around the Sun brings with it the opportunity to turn over a new leaf and the hope of a ‘New Year, New Me.’ Unfortunately, most of the time, New Year’s Resolutions are as effective as pouring water into a colander.

But the thing is, the commitment to make a change in your life and actually stick to it happens only when you have the willpower to do it. A date change or orbital cycle won’t miraculously make you want to alter your lifestyle. This is probably why New Year’s resolutions are mostly so unsuccessful. Why is the day celebrated on January 17? Most probably because it takes at least a fortnight for people to realize that they don’t actually care all that much about the resolutions they have made, and don’t want to feel tied to them any longer.

Ditch New Year's Resolution Day timeline

3000 B.C.
Wepet Renpet

Ancient Egyptians celebrate Wepet Renpet, which means ‘Opening of the Year’.

46 B.C.
Julian Calendar

Julius Caesar invents a new calendar and declares January 1 as the first day of the new year.

1671
‘I Resolve Not To…’

Scottish writer Anne Halkett writes down pledges in her diary and titles them ‘Resolutions.’

1813
First Time in Print

The first-ever recorded use of the term ‘new year resolution’ is published in a Boston newspaper.

Ditch New Year's Resolution Day FAQs

What is Quitters Day?

The second Friday in January is known as Quitters Day as it is the most likely day for people to give up on their New Year’s resolutions.

 

How long do New Year’s resolutions usually last?

80% of all resolutions for the New Year fail or are given up on by the second week of February. Drastic changes to your lifestyle are hard to keep track of and keep up with. 

 

What percentage of New Year’s resolutions last throughout the year?

On average, only 8% of Americans succeed in completely sticking to their resolutions until the end of the year.

Ditch New Year's Resolution Day Activities

  1. Rejoice in your freedom

    Eat without worrying about the calories, free yourself from the routine of heading to the gym, and just sit back and relax!

  2. Pat yourself on the back

    Even though you no longer want to continue keeping your resolutions, at least you came this far! You made your first mistakes of the New Year. Onwards to better things now!

  3. Share it on social media!

    Progress is always celebrated, so why not setbacks? Let the world know that you gave it your best shot, but until next time, your resolutions have officially been ditched!

TOP 5 REASONS WHY PEOPLE FAIL AT KEEPING RESOLUTIONS

  1. Not enough commitment

    People fail at keeping a resolution that is not really a commitment but more of a contemplation.

  2. Not enough time

    Being unable to prioritize a resolution enough to make time for it is another prime reason for failing.

  3. Experiencing a setback

    A minor setback often completely derails a person from keeping their resolutions.

  4. Slower progress than expected

    People get discouraged from pursuing or staying consistent with their resolutions when they don’t see instant results.

  5. Not enough support

    Because resolutions are so personal, people often fail because of the lack of a support system to keep them motivated to stay committed.

Why We Love Ditch New Year's Resolution Day

  1. We are free from unrealistic goals

    As much as we encourage the chasing of goals and don’t think any dream is too big, if a resolution is so unrealistic that it is highly likely you’ll eventually ditch it, there’s probably no good in carrying on with it.

  2. Change should come from within

    The will to change your lifestyle should be internal and not be determined by a date change on the calendar.

  3. You can always start again tomorrow!

    Now that we are unshackled from those resolutions, let’s take it slow and try again tomorrow. Hopefully, we’ll get better results. Baby steps!

Ditch New Year's Resolution Day dates

Year Date Day
2025 January 17 Friday
2026 January 17 Saturday
2027 January 17 Sunday
2028 January 17 Monday
2029 January 17 Wednesday