2009 New Year's
Resolutions Reflect Tough Economy: Health & Travel Are Out, Nesting & Relationships Are In
Scottsdale, AZ — December 3, 2008 —
myGoals.com today announced its annual predictions describing what
types of resolutions people are expected to make during the coming
New Year's season.
myGoals.com, the Web's premiere site for
setting and reaching personal and professional goals, bases its
predictions on the current year's third quarter goal-setting
activity. According to an anonymous, random sample of goals people
have set at the site, this year's New Year's resolutions are
expected to break down as follows:
New Year's
Resolutions
2008
2009*
% Change
Health & Fitness
28
%
23
%
-5
Career
21
18
-3
Personal Finance
13
14
+1
Personal Growth &
Interests
15
13
-2
Education & Training
7
8
+1
Family &
Relationships
4
8
+4
Home Improvement & Real
Estate
3
8
+5
Time Management &
Organization
4
7
+3
Recreation & Leisure
5
.4
-4.6
* Projected ** Does not
equal 100% due to rounding
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reproduce this press release, data,
or graphics (in whole or in
part) with credit to
myGoals.com.
Back to Basics
"This is going to be a very different year for many people," said Greg Helmstetter, CEO of myGoals.com. "In 2009, we expect people to forego big moves, career changes, or vacations, and instead focus on reconnecting with friends, spending time with family, and organizing and improving their homes." New Year's resolutions related to career and travel/recreation are expected to decline by 3-5%, whereas resolutions related to family/relationships, home improvement, and getting organized are expected to increase by 3-5%.
"We expect travel to get hit particularly hard," said Helmstetter. "It's as though travel and recreation have just fallen off the map—these just aren't on people's 2009 To-Do list." Taken together, these trends appear to paint a larger picture. "All told, the data suggest a broader trend toward returning to basics—family, friends, and home—because that's where people are finding security and fulfillment during these very scary economic times."
New Trends in Health & Weight Loss
While "Health and Fitness" resolutions are expected to decline in 2009, it is still the most popular category. The number one resolution, "To Lose Weight," remains unchanged in popularity year after year. "Most people who indicate that they would like to lose weight are only seeking to lose about 10 pounds," said Helmstetter. "Big, dramatic resolutions, such as goals to run marathons, are not going to be as common in 2009. In fact, health and fitness resolutions are very consistent with the general trend toward security, comfort, and nesting that we're seeing in other categories." For instance, health-related resolutions are showing that people are increasingly interested in things like reducing stress and getting more sleep.
A New Focus for Finances & Real Estate
Resolutions follow in lockstep with markets when it comes to financial matters. "2009 is going to be all about individuals' security," said Helmstetter. "For instance, paying down debt is always a popular resolution and this year is no different. What is different is that very few people are thinking about investing—of any sort—compared to recent years. Nearly all of people's financial resolutions will be about getting rid of debt."
A similar trend is suggested in real estate. "We're seeing very little interest in buying a home, despite falling prices," said Helmstetter. "Instead, people want to fix up their current homes, organize their closets, work on the yard, and make their lives more pleasant, more livable—without spending much money. It's as though they expect things to be tough-going for a while, and are digging in for what could be a long winter."
But it's not all doom and gloom. "But the good news is we're not seeing much pessimism," said Helmstetter. "The tone is serious, but seems to be merely conveying a return to basic things like simplicity, hearth-and-home, family, friends—the stuff that ultimately matters most."
myGoals.com's annual
predictions of New Year's resolutions are based on the ordinary
goal-setting activity of myGoals.com users during the third quarter of the current calendar year. Two hundred and fifty anonymized goals, set by
the site's users, were selected at random and tabulated to generate
the trends outlined above. No survey was involved; these are actual goals set by everyday users. This is not a
scientific study and should not be taken to represent the behavior
of the entire U.S. population with statistical significance.
myGoals.com's userbase does, however, generally broadly represent
the adult, U.S. Web-surfing population.
About
myGoals.com, Inc.
myGoals.com is the Web's premier site
for setting, managing, and reaching personal and professional goals.
Individuals can set as many goals as they like, creating custom
GoalPlans from scratch or selecting from a library of pre-made
GoalPlans that contain expert advice for accomplishing the goal.
myGoals.com then sends email reminders to keep the individual on
track, until the goal is accomplished. This subscription-based
service is free to try for 10 days. Gift certificates available.
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CONTACT: Anthony Helmstetter myGoals.com, Inc. (480)
948-1659 press@mygoals.com
