WHEN FAMED lexicographer Dr Johnson was 46, he wrote the following scheme for his Sundays in his diary on New Year’s Eve: “I resolve henceforth to rise early, and in order to it, to go to bed early on Saturday.” This was typical Johnson: by nature a late riser, he spent his whole life resolving to get up early – and never managed it.

Well, if the latest science is anything to go by, Johnson needn’t have worried. Sleep is good and resolutions are a waste of time.

A research project on the sleep habits and general effectiveness of 1,000 subjects carried out by Professor Richard Wiseman of Hertfordshire University found that the more sleep you get, the more likely you are to stick to your resolutions.

“People try all sorts of complicated techniques to try to change their lives around this time of year,” he says, adding that there is an easier path:

“In fact, their chances of success might be boosted simply by doing nothing and spending more time in bed.”

Prof Wiseman also found that 80% of people let their resolutions slip by the end of January, suggesting that resolving is a wholly pointless exercise.

Thank you, Prof Wiseman, for those reassuring findings.