What are your New Year’s resolutions?

Now is the time to make them. Then fail in a few weeks. Then make more in February for the Chinese New Year. Fail again and wait till April for the tax year to restart.

Yes, it’s not my first time trying to make resolutions.

In the past I have seen the idea of the New Year’s resolution as pointless. It’s an arbitrary point in our elliptical lap round the Sun. Why does that mean I have to go to the gym?

Now I realise that if you wait for the right time to start a positive change you’ll spend all your life waiting. Now is as good a time as any.

It also helps that we haven’t done anything for nearly two years now, so it feels like I should probably start doing something.

While looking for inspiration I found research that looked into the New Year's resolutions.

The article pointed out that most resolutions are about self-improvement.

That makes sense. If you thought: “New Year, new chance to set a personal best for doughnut eating,” you might have bigger problems. If you’re taking part in Soaking January this column is not for you.

Around 23 per cent of us aim to live healthier in the New Year. It sounds like a vague goal but during a pandemic it’s quite a challenge.

It’s interesting that 21 per cent of us want to be happier and 20 per cent want to lose weight.

I want to be in that one per cent who are happy while eating custard creams.

Seven per cent of us plan to start exercising. I have the Couch to 5k app.

I’ve had it for years and I am still awful at running but I like going out at this time of year with the newbies who have just started. It’s the only time I get to overtake anyone.

Only two per cent said they planned to reducing their drinking. It’s bad news for the Dry January organisers.

If you want to get people to quit alcohol you need the lockdown rules of Scotland last year. You could only drink alcohol outside the venue. In Winter!

The only people who were still buying whisky were probably burning it as fuel.

While 16 per cent of us want to do better at work only 11 per cent want to improve our relationships. If you’re working from home sorting out one might fix the other.

There are so many ways to try to improve yourself and if you keep failing, don’t worry.

You can buy an academic year planner that starts again in September.