A Complete Guide to Setting New Years Resolutions
It's that time of year again 🎉
The magic moment in all of its glittering hope and melancholy ✨ A moment of looking back at the past months and toward the coming year to chart your path forward. Can you believe it's already time to say goodbye to another year?
Happy New Year!!
The end of one year and beginning of the next often arrives with a mix of emotions, memories, and a hopeful longing for change. You may reflect on the past months, the challenges you faced, the milestones you reached, and the lessons you learned. You also look forward to the New Year with hope, excitement, and anticipation for new beginnings, fresh starts, and endless possibilities.
Now is the ideal time to set resolutions that help you…
Start the un-startable
Wiggle outside of your comfort zone
Strengthen commitments to yourself
The New Year is a natural milestone encouraging you to prioritize any lifestyle changes you wish to make but may have been delaying.
Whether it's improving your health, relationships, finances, or career, a resolution gives you a sense of purpose and direction. However, setting a resolution is one thing. Sticking to your resolutions is another thing entirely. We've all made mistakes when setting resolutions, and we often find ourselves losing motivation and giving up on our goals.
But don't worry, we've got you covered! Here at Simplish, we've put together some mindful tips to help you avoid common resolution mistakes and make this your best year yet (and let go in the process).
The Most Common Reasons Why New Year's Resolutions Fail
Many people tend to set New Year's resolutions to kickstart positive changes in their lives. Some of the most common resolutions include things like losing weight, getting in shape, quitting smoking, saving money, and learning a new skill or hobby. Others may focus on personal growth or improving relationships with family and friends.
According to a New Year survey conducted by YouGov, around 60 percent of Americans make New Year's resolutions. ' The study showed that the most common New Year's resolutions were:
Eating a healthier diet (37%)
Getting more regular exercise (37%)
A greater focus on self-care (24%)
Committing to reading more books (18%)
The same study found that only 8% of those who set resolutions actually keep them 😢
You may wonder: Why do so many fail at sticking to their aspirations at the start of the year? Well, it's a difficult question to answer.
Embarking on a New Year's resolution can feel like the start of an exciting adventure. However, it's not uncommon for our plans to face challenges and obstacles along the way.
Think of your resolution as a delicate paper boat navigating rough seas. The reasons why resolutions often fail can be compared to strong winds and turbulent waves that can knock our boats off course. Unclear objectives can be like setting sail without a destination in mind while setting unattainable goals can be like having sails that are too big for the boat to handle.
Whatever the reason you struggle to keep your resolutions, it's important to remember that setbacks are a natural part of making changes. Be kind to yourself as you navigate these ups and downs.
Achieving your New Year's resolutions may seem daunting, but with the right mindset and approach, it is entirely possible to turn them into a reality.
How to Keep Your New Year's Resolutions
The following tips will help you set practical goals and inspire you to stay focused, regardless of what you want to accomplish. Who knows? This year may just be the year that takes you closer to the person you've always aspired to be.
Make Your Resolutions Specific
One of the biggest reasons most people fail at their attempts to make a change in their lives is because they set generic goals that aren’t specific to their life. After all, it's easy to neglect, ignore, or overlook a vague determination to “lose weight”.
Successful goal-setters clearly define when, where and how they will accomplish objectives in their everyday life, a technique known as creating implementation intentions.
For example, resolving to exercise more or lose weight is too much of a blanket statement. It's New Year's resolutions like this that we hear far too regularly. It is too easy to resume business as usual and forget about your commitment come February or March.
Try instead to set a more specific goal. Signing up for a local 5k fun run or setting a monthly goal of a predetermined weight loss amount is a far better way to motivate yourself to stick at it.
Assigning a timeframe to your resolution is also very helpful as you can set yourself mini-goals to achieve an overall bigger goal. Short-, mid-, and long-term goals are a great way to keep yourself on track and will keep you motivated.
Also, when you're feeling sick of all this running or dieting, mini-goals will encourage you to keep on track as you look back and realize just how far you've come to this point.
Set Positive, Motivating Goals That You Look Forward To Achieving
One mistake that many resolvers tend to make is setting their resolutions in a negative frame.
New Year's resolutions often sound something like this:
❌ Stop eating junk food
❌ Don’t waste time on social media
❌ Avoid political arguments with family
When you formulate resolutions like these, you frame your goal around what you are trying to avoid. The two things you will hear are junk food and social media. As time goes on, you’ll naturally focus on the loss of what you’ve given up rather than what you’ve gained in the process.
While we’re big fans of making a well-written not-to-do list at Simplish, there are a couple of tricks to how you phrase your changes. It’s crucial to emphasize the behavior you actually want to practice rather than the behavior you’re trying to stop. In addition, be as specific as possible about the behavior you’re going to “do” instead.
Frame your resolutions in terms of specific replacement actions. Using this principle, this list above becomes:
Snack on celery and carrots with peanut butter when I'm hungry between meals
Replace 30 minutes of social media with reading books every day
Plan family cooking nights once a week and focus on creating new recipes together
Do you notice the difference?
With this simple shift in framing, you’ll be waaaay more likely to stick to whatever you have set out to achieve when you frame the resolutions with affirmative language.
Keep Your Resolutions Simple
Another big New Year's resolution no-no is to set complicated aspirations. Making resolutions that require too much commitment or take up too much time is doomed to fail from the outset.
Shooting for the moon is psychologically daunting and sets us up for failure. Instead, keep your resolution list short and sweet, and reflect on how to prioritize your list if you have more than three.
Don't overcomplicate things. Small attainable goals are far more likely to succeed than some grand scheme to lose 100 pounds or run a marathon with only a month's training.
Keep Track Of Your Progress
Charting and tracking progress is another great strategy for success. This can be done in any manner you see fit, whether it's a to-do list, vision board, or diary.
And if you dare to, share your goals with your friends, family, or social media. This will bring in an element of accountability and help motivate you to stay on track.
12 New Years Resolution Ideas to Boost Wellbeing and Productivity
Get Creative in the Kitchen
Spice up your life this year by trying out one new recipe each week! Whether whipping up a Thai curry from scratch or baking a batch of cookies, an excellent New Year's resolution can be exploring the amazing culinary world.
This can be a tasty and fun way to expand your skills, tantalize your taste buds, and even impress a few dinner guests!
2. Walk and Talk
A new habit you could try to cultivate is a pretty fun and healthy habit: you can call it "walk and talk" if you want, and it's about replacing one phone call a week with a walking call. Whether it’s catching up with a friend or joining a work meeting, get your shoes and go for a walk! It’s a sneaky way to boost your physical activity, soak in some Vitamin D, and make everyday calls an adventure!
3. Start Your Day with A Mini-Meditation
If you're completely new to meditation and feel like you lack motivation or time to do it, maybe this year, try to start your day with a one-minute meditation or deep breathing exercise. Before the coffee, before the shower, can be the perfect time to take even just 60 seconds to breathe and be. This might be small, but it is truly a meaningful step that can significantly impact your overall mental health. It might be tricky initially because humans naturally tend toward hyperbolic discounting bias, where we prefer immediate payoffs to later rewards… So, trust the process even if you first struggle to see the results. Simply add small meditation bits to your morning routine and see the change in your life!
4. Daily Digital Detox
Yes, we know digital addiction is a real thing. Is one of those bad habits we most struggle to get rid of. But this New Year, instead, try to carve out a specific time each day, say an hour before bed, when you disconnect from all digital devices – phones, laptops, tablets, etc. This practice encourages you to engage in other relaxing activities like reading, meditating, or spending quality time with family and friends. Not only does it help in reducing stress and improving sleep quality, but it also fosters mindful productivity.
5. The '15-Minute Creativity Boost'
How about making this New Year a canvas for your creativity? A great idea could be, for example, to spend 15 minutes each day cultivating a creative skill. It could be anything, whether it comes to doodling, writing poetry, strumming a guitar, or crafting. It's not about making the ultimate masterpieces; it's instead all about unleashing your inner creativity. After the usual holiday stress, it can be a great way to do what you like and release tension! Just try with 15 minutes, no pressure, no expectations. So make sure you choose a measurable goal and stick to it as often as possible!
6. Weekly Self-Reflection Journaling
Begin the New Year with a commitment to self-awareness and personal growth through weekly self-reflection journaling. Simply pick a specific day each week to write down your thoughts, feelings, experiences, and learnings. This practice is not just about recording events but delving deeper into your emotional responses and understanding the 'whys' behind your actions. This mindful activity fosters a greater connection with yourself, improving mental clarity and emotional well-being. By the end of the year, you’ll have a rich diary of personal insights and a clearer vision of your journey.
7. Establish a 'Me-Time' Ritual
For this New Year, embrace the resolution to establish a daily 'Me-Time' ritual. It's a simple, uplifting commitment to dedicating a small portion of your day to yourself. This could be anything from carving out some time to read your favorite book to enjoying a cup of tea, practicing yoga, or just sitting in silence and reflecting. The key is to choose an activity that brings you joy and peace. This daily practice helps create a space for self-care, allowing you to recharge and maintain a healthy balance between your needs and life's demands. It's a realistic and gentle way to nurture your mental and emotional well-being, ensuring that you regularly take the time to look after yourself amidst the hustle of everyday life.
8. Daily Gratitude Practice
This New Year, consider adopting a simple and profoundly impactful resolution: a daily gratitude practice. Each day, take a few moments to jot down three things you are grateful for. These can be as big as a life-changing event or as small as the scent of your morning coffee. This practice fosters a positive mindset and helps acknowledge and appreciate the good in life, even on challenging days. Research has shown that practicing gratitude can lead to an overall happier life because you'll be reducing depression and ensuring you get better sleep. By taking this small step daily, you're setting yourself in a more content, peaceful, and resilient mind.
9. Cultivate the "Water First" Habit
For a healthier New Year, adopt the 'Water First' habit. Before each meal, drink a glass of water when you feel a snack craving. This simple yet effective resolution can have major health benefits as it aids in better hydration, can assist in weight management, and improves overall health. This might sound simple, but it's an enormous beneficial practice that reminds you to prioritize your physical well-being in a very basic but essential way.
10. Establish a Personal Accountability System
This New Year, make a resolution to enhance self-accountability. Set a goal to create and maintain a system that holds yourself responsible for your actions, decisions, and goals. This could involve weekly self-reflection sessions to assess progress on your goals, maintaining a journal for tracking your commitments and outcomes or setting up regular check-ins with a partner or mentor who can provide honest feedback and encouragement. This way, you can have a major sense of accountability that fosters self-discipline and integrity and significantly boosts your ability to achieve personal and professional goals. Being accountable makes you more likely to make thoughtful decisions, learn from mistakes, and celebrate successes, leading to a more fulfilling and purposeful year.
11. Practice Daily Affirmations
Begin each day by writing affirmations. These uplifting statements can help challenge and overcome negative and self-sabotaging thoughts. Regularly practicing affirmations can cultivate a positive mindset, boost self-confidence, and encourage an optimistic view of life. It's a simple yet powerful tool for personal empowerment and mental well-being.
12. Develop a Mindful Eating Habit
Focus on developing a mindful eating habit. This involves paying full attention to the experience of eating and drinking inside and outside the body. This goes beyond the classic notion of "healthy eating." When you have food in front of you, try to notice the colors, smells, textures, and flavors of your food, as well as the sensations of hunger and satisfaction. Mindful eating can lead to a better, healthy relationship with food that can allow you to enhance your health and find an overall balanced lifestyle.
Here's to Another Great Year 🥂
Best wishes for the coming year! New Year's resolutions are achievable if we commit to them and stay determined. With a positive mindset, a clear plan, the willingness to work hard - and acceptance that productivity naturally comes and goes in waves - you can make progress towards your goals. Let's focus on self-improvement, prioritize our health and well-being, and strive for success in all aspects of life. Cheers to a fulfilling and prosperous new year ahead!