Between 80 to 85% of people who lose a significant amount of weight regain it. Around 80% of people also fail their New Year's Resolutions by mid-February.

My theory is that they fail because of burnout.

When you have an abundance of motivation on January 1st, you're able to make drastic lifestyle changes and stick with it. Over time, however, your motivation wanes. These new goals are no longer at the front of your mind, replaced by day-to-day priorities like work or family. Then, you inevitably fail to get a workout in or read that one day, become discouraged, and abandon the goal.

I'm going to try the "more often than not" approach this year. More often than not, I will write. More often than not, I will build projects. More often than not, I will read instead of scrolling social media.

I first heard about this from this conversation between Ryan Holiday and James Clear. They mention an ancient idea that I loved: the wind does not break a tree that bends. When you live in rigid systems, any deviation will break your habits and derail your goals.

I've journaled almost daily for the past five years. It was a New Year's Resolution in 2020. I did it daily until January 8th, then tapered off and didn't journal all of February. I already thought I failed when I missed the first day, so why continue?

When the COVID-19 lockdown started in March, I decided that it'd be a shame not to document such a strange era of my life. But instead of a rigid goal like journaling daily, I told myself to journal at least 90% of my days. I missed a few days, felt okay about it, and now I have a 900 day journaling streak.

Having more flexible goals prevents burnout. Cate Hall explains why burnout kills agency in this article, and I agree. A car going straight can go faster than a car that turns, but only the car that turns can choose new destinations. Leaving time for breaks lets you chart a new course.

This year, I want to cultivate luck. I'll do this by consistently showing up and doing things, but not forcing myself to stick to arbitrary streaks. You should do the same.

Find more of my thoughts on Twitter (@ethanweii).