Did you know that 88% of people with ADHD abandon their New Year resolutions? That is why resolutions suck.
If you are feeling that February slump creeping in, you are not alone. Resolutions fail for most people, but for our ADHD brains, they fail even faster. That is not because you are lazy or unmotivated. It is because traditional goal-setting was not designed with ADHD in mind.
In this post, we are going to break down why resolutions fail, the most common goal-setting pitfalls, how to create ADHD-friendly goals that actually work, and how to build the momentum to keep going.
TL;DR:
- 88% of ADHDers abandon their New Year’s resolutions.
- Resolutions fail because they rely on consistency, long-term planning, and self-accountability—things ADHD makes difficult.
- The fix: Ditch rigid goals and use a New Year’s theme instead.
- Break big goals into mini-missions to create momentum and keep things interesting.
- External accountability is the missing piece—stop trying to do it alone.
Why resolutions suck especially for ADHD brains
Resolutions fail for everyone, but for ADHD brains, they fail faster and harder.
Traditional goal-setting requires three things that ADHD makes incredibly difficult.
- Consistency – Doing the same thing every day, week, or month.
- Long-term planning – Mapping out steps to a goal that might take a whole year.
- Self-accountability – Remembering the goal exists and following through without external support.
We start the year excited. New planners, new routines, new goals. Everything feels possible in January.
But by February, that new habit feels boring. The planner is abandoned. The motivation is gone.
Sound familiar? That is because ADHD brains crave novelty. The moment something stops feeling new, the dopamine rush disappears. Suddenly, that goal feels impossible to keep up with.
And then there is time blindness.
You set a goal for the year, but if you have ADHD, next December might as well be next century. If there is no immediate reward, your brain treats it like it does not matter.
So when you miss a day or fall behind, it does not feel like a small bump. It feels like failure.
That is where all or nothing thinking kicks in.
- You miss a workout, so you tell yourself you failed at fitness and quit entirely.
- You forget to journal one morning, so the habit is dead.
- You eat one “unhealthy” meal, so the whole nutrition goal is over.
Add in executive dysfunction, the struggle to plan, prioritize, and follow through, and you have a perfect recipe for burnout by February.
But here is the good news. The problem is not you. It is the system.
And we can fix the system.
The ADHD friendly alternative to resolutions
Traditional resolutions set you up for failure because they rely on an outdated idea of success. You set a goal, follow the plan perfectly, and achieve it exactly as expected.
That is not how real life works. And it is definitely not how ADHD brains work.
Instead of a pass or fail goal, try setting a New Year’s theme instead.
A theme is a guiding principle rather than a strict checklist. It gives you flexibility, allowing you to stay focused on a general direction instead of a rigid plan.
Let’s say your resolution was:
"I will work out five times a week."
Sounds solid, right? But the second you miss a workout, your brain might register that as failure. And once something feels like a failure, it is easy to spiral into avoidance.
Instead, you could set a theme like "Movement" or "Strength."
Now, instead of being locked into a specific routine, you have options.
- One week you go to the gym.
- The next, you stretch at home.
- Another week, you take long walks.
The theme stays the same, even if the way you engage with it changes.
This works because ADHD brains thrive when things feel new. A theme allows you to keep experimenting, adjusting, and trying different approaches without feeling like you are constantly starting over.
It also eliminates the pass or fail mentality that comes with rigid goals.
You cannot fail a theme. You just keep engaging with it in whatever way makes sense at the time. And if you forget about it for a while, you can pick it right back up without guilt.
At Shimmer, our theme for the year is New Year, More Me.
Instead of trying to create a new version of yourself, we focus on expanding what already works, refining strengths, and building habits in a way that actually honors how our brains function.
You do not need to change who you are. You just need the right systems and support to grow into more of who you already are.
But even with the right approach, ADHD brains struggle with follow-through.
That is because big goals, even flexible ones, can still feel overwhelming.
That is why the next step is breaking your theme into mini-missions your brain can actually engage with.
Mini-missions make goals ADHD friendly
Big goals feel impossible, even when they are flexible. ADHD brains struggle to bridge the gap between where I am now and where I want to be, especially if the reward feels far away.
That is why breaking goals into mini-missions is so powerful.
Mini-missions give your brain smaller, achievable wins that keep motivation alive. Instead of trying to sustain one huge effort all year, you are creating bite-sized challenges that give you Yes! I did something! moments.
Let’s say your theme is "Movement."
Instead of a massive, year-long goal, think smaller.
- Two-week mission – Stretch for five minutes every morning.
- One-month experiment – Try one new type of movement such as dance, hiking, or yoga.
- Low-barrier habit – Take a quick walk during phone calls.
Each of these is a self-contained experiment, not a lifelong commitment.
And when a mission stops working, drop it. No guilt. Just pick a new one.
This is how ADHD brains stay engaged. By treating goals like experiments instead of expectations.
The missing piece is external accountability
Even if you have a theme, and even if you break it into mini-missions, ADHD brains struggle with self-accountability.
And it is not a motivation issue. It is not about willpower. It is about how ADHD affects working memory, task initiation, and follow-through.
If something is not right in front of you, if there is no one expecting you to do it, it is easy to just forget it exists.
That is why external accountability is a game-changer.
If you have ever:
- Been more likely to work out because a friend was waiting for you
- Actually finished a project because you had a deadline
- Made a doctor’s appointment because your partner reminded you 500 times
That is external accountability at work.
And that is exactly why ADHD coaching works.
A coach is not just someone who gives advice. They are your built-in accountability system.
- When your brain forgets why your goal mattered, they remind you.
- When something is not working, they help you adjust instead of quitting.
- When you are stuck in all or nothing thinking, they help you zoom out and see the bigger picture.
Sometimes they are just there to tell you, "Hey, you are doing better than you think you are."
That is why Shimmer members who work with a coach are more likely to stick with their goals. Not because they have more willpower. Because they have a system that makes it easier.
If you are tired of trying to do this alone, check out ADHD coaching at shimmer.care/take-control.
If you read this far, I want you to stop thinking of your ADHD as a barrier to growth; it’s a reason to innovate how we grow.
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