I was not making runs according to the standards I had set myself, says Jayawardene
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The middle-order batsman, who scored just one half-century in his last 17 one-day innings, said he gave up the captaincy so that his successor could build a team for the 2011 World Cup.
Sri Lanka are one of the co-hosts of the showpiece one-day event, along with India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Long-time deputy Kumar Sangakkara is widely tipped to take over as Sri Lanka's captain, with Jayawardene confirming "there is an obvious successor to the throne."
"This is the ideal time to leave my successor to make his own imprint."
Jayawardene, named the International Cricket Council's captain of the year for 2006, said the decision to resign was his own and not based on any outside influence.
Media reports said the selectors had proposed to split the Test and one-day captaincy, so that Jayawardene could lead in the longer version of the game while his successor took over the one-day role.
Jayawardene said he wanted to contribute both as leader and top-order batsman during the two-Test series against Pakistan starting on February 21.
"I want the team to win the series for me," he said.
Jayawardene guided Sri Lanka to the World Cup final in the West Indies in 2007, where they lost to Australia.
He captained Sri Lanka in 26 Tests, winning 15, losing seven with four draws.
In 94 one-day internationals under him, Sri Lanka won 54 and lost 35 while the rest ended in no-results.
The first Test in Pakistan will be played in Karachi from February 21-25, while the second and final match will be played in Lahore from March 1-5.
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