Old, but start small. Instead of 1 hour of reading starting on new years or whenever, start with 5 minutes and build up. Instead of the gym every day, gym once a week and build up. People just promise goals that are too big. And in truth, you should start as soon as you can, waiting for some specific day is just days lost and demotivation if something goes wrong. There are reminder apps too, they center around productivity, these apps can alert you to complete your task. Hell, even with the gym, you can start at home with some 15 minute hiit workout on youtube and build up to the gym. So I wouldn't say it's not wanting to work hard or actually accomplish something, they just set unrealistic goals, they have essentially set themselves up for failure without even realizing it.