Eric J. Gleacher Distinguished Service Professor of Behavioral Science and Marketing at the University of Chicago, motivation scientist, author of GET IT DONE.
🚀New 3 Takeaways episode🚀
Most people quit their New Year's resolutions by March. The reason why might surprise you.
University of Chicago professor @ayeletfishbach has spent decades studying why we fail at goals.
Her finding: willpower is overrated. What matters is something entirely different.
Fishbach reveals what actually separates those who succeed from those who quit and the strategies that make goals stick.
For more,
👉Read her book Get It Done https://t.co/3Sz387ZbgA
👉Listen on 3 Takeaways, the global top 1% podcast https://t.co/mEDEyMdjBK
💬 What's your biggest challenge with sticking to goals?
#Motivation #Goals #NewYearsResolutions #Psychology #SelfImprovement #3Takeaways #podcast
It's New Year's. You want to get in shape. Here's exactly what to do, according to science.
@ayeletfishbach, a University of Chicago professor who's spent decades studying motivation, walks through the step-by-step strategy that actually works on 3 Takeaways podcast:
**STEP 1: Set a specific, exciting goal**
→ Not "get in shape" but "what exactly do you mean?"
→ How much? How soon?
→ Make it exciting so you can't wait to start
→ Numbers motivate us - set a target such as 3x/week
**STEP 2: Plan how you'll monitor progress**
→ How will you know you're moving ahead?
→ Short sub-goals combat the midpoint slump
→ Before midpoint: celebrate what you've accomplished
→ After midpoint: focus on what's left to do
**STEP 3: Build in social support**
→ Who's helping you?
→ Who's doing it with you?
→ Share with close friends and keep them updated
→ Social support helps us achieve our goals
**STEP 4: Set up your environment**
→ Lay out gym clothes the night before
→ Put healthy food in front, unhealthy food hidden
→ Remove obstacles in advance
→ Plan for the situation so you'll respond in ways that advance your goals, if you slip
**STEP 5: Make it fit with your life**
→ How does this goal fit with your other goals?
→ You want to be healthy AND a good family member AND advance your career
→ Some goals need to be donated- like cleaning out your closet
→ Keep goals that connect to each other and make you fulfilled
The secret? "Motivation is knowledge more than willpower. You don't own your motivation. It's not something that you can lose. It's a tool. It's knowledge. It's something that we practice and constantly adjust."
Be curious. Experiment. If something works, repeat it. If it doesn't, learn and adjust.
You're a work in progress. And that's exactly how it should be.
✅Read Get It Done by Ayelet Fishbach https://t.co/3Sz387ZbgA
✅Listen on 3 Takeaways podcast and subscribe to the newsletter so you don't miss new episodes https://t.co/6P72I5Mqgs
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💬Which step resonates most with you? What's your strategy for 2026?
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#Goals #NewYear #Motivation #Strategy #Success #PersonalDevelopment #Science
“For me, what is interesting is that intrinsic motivation predicts persistence on goals that are clearly extrinsic,” says @ayeletfishbach. “No one sets a resolution because they enjoy doing it. By the fact that you set a resolution, I can pretty much guarantee that you don’t enjoy it.” https://t.co/dsTSlQOKwB
Research by @Jiabi__Wang, a PhD student at Chicago Booth, and Booth’s @ayeletfishbach suggests one way to better reach your goals: make them complement each other. https://t.co/dRC1ilzNzr
You probably set goals based on how important they are, but that isn't necessarily what is going to help you achieve them. My latest for Psychology Today. With a shout-out to research by @ayeletfishbach and @Kaitlin_Woolley.
https://t.co/Sxdm8v6Ljo
YCCI explores Professor @ayeletfishbach 's work on how to stay driven by harnessing intrinsic motivation:
✅Set goals that excite you
✅Focus on what you want to achieve—not just what you want to avoid
✅Treat motivation as a practice, not a one-time fix
https://t.co/Za6z4aZ0J6
Year-long longitudinal study by @kaitlyn_woolley et al suggests intrinsic motivation (more than extrinsic motivation) both predicted, and causally increased, goal adherence for professional, financial, and health goals:
https://t.co/DOupkcYvBt
via coauthor @ayeletfishbach
Check out a new @PsychScience article by @ayeletfishbach and collaborators: People were more likely to stick with goals framed as enjoyable—not just important. People used a health app more when told it was “a fun game” rather than “a useful tool.”
https://t.co/0DDxopG7lG
Goal harmony—goals complement or facilitate each other—boosts motivation.
It is associated with collectivistic national cultures and can be improved through mental integration (eg linking health/financial goals), research by Wang & @ayeletfishbach finds:
https://t.co/l9iii19Hpm
In a new article by Jiabi Wang & Team Scientist @ayeletfishbach, they find helping people connect their goals can increase motivation. When people linked a health goal (like exercising more) to a financial one, they expressed more motivation to pursue it. https://t.co/QHJxDhrq4U
Just published a paper on New Year’s resolutions… in July! 🎉 We found: Intrinsic motivation > extrinsic motivation. Not your typical time to set resolutions, but that makes it a perfect time! @Kaitlin_Woolley@lauramgiurge. https://t.co/Rk6NP8a4bK
@elgusster 1. Not sure. French and Dutch publishers moved faster 📚 2. Why not 4? Set goals, monitor progress, manage multiple goals and seek social support 🧗♀️
SCIENCE SAYS: You should be more motivated. 🚀
Reality: You’re reading this tweet instead of getting things done.
Good news: Get It Done is 50% OFF—because procrastinators deserve a discount. 🎉
📚 Grab it now before you forget
https://t.co/zrM1vusutd
Big news in social psych!
The 2025 version is open-access. No paywalls. No barriers. Just decades of wisdom, ready to be read, downloaded, and shared.
https://t.co/kMeuvxWxoc
Since 1954, "The Handbook of Social Psychology" has been the field’s most authoritative reference work, and today is the launch of the all-new 6th edition. Best news? The HSP is now an open-access public resource—free to read, download, and share. https://t.co/uI3xJPcXgV
@Shige_Oishi just dropped by my office with his new book Life in Three Dimensions—I’m excited to dive in!
He's been challenging us to think beyond the pursuit of happiness. What about meaning and psychologically rich life? Turns out, there’s more to life than just feeling good.
RFK Jr. wants measles deaths so common they won’t upset. Dark humor—but also how people think.
We finds that the bigger the problem, the less people worry. https://t.co/D43H24mSn8
https://t.co/aHgJBoybOb