There’s a science behind why we overshoot with our resolutions: People tend to set themselves up for failure by setting resolutions to do things they have failed at accomplishing during the rest of the year, with the hope that making the decision to follow through as of New Year’s will make all the difference, Claire Maldarelli writes for Popular Science. Also problematic is the fact that many people derive a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction just from the act of setting a resolution — the instant gratification we get from thinking about self-improvement is enough to make us feel like we did something, without actually committing.

Fret not — there’s also a science behind how to make meaningful changes. Studies have proven that around 80% of resolutions are abandoned by the second week of February, and that high failure rate has a lot to do with how we mentally frame resolutions, according to Business Insider. “If you can stop yourself overthinking how awful it will be to have a salad for dinner, or to go on a run after work, you might just have a better chance of going through with it.” Lifestyle coaches also suggest avoiding thinking about resolutions as something that “should” be done, which makes them carry the connotation that they are a burdensome responsibility that can be ignored in favor of a more enjoyable activity.