Lose weight. Quit social media. Cut out alcohol completely. Blah blah blah snooze fest. The Best New Year Resolutions For 2024. These are all Good Goals, don’t get me wrong. But we set the same New Year’s Resolutions every single year and then… never really stick to them.
So, for 2024, why not shake things up a bit and try creating resolutions of a different variety? Whether you choose one new year resolution or all, you’ll be better off for it.
Year’s resolutions are the perfect opportunity for all those who have failed to start making the changes that they said they would make Next Week, Next Month, or perhaps when winter starts.
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This New Year’s Resolution Ideas can be simple and positive, such as:
- Paying it forward,
- Engaging in self-care,
- Practicing daily gratitude, and
- Decluttering.
And they needn’t necessarily be activity-based; goals can range from those that inspire happiness to the professional, highly personal, and everything in between. The Best New Year Resolutions For 2024
Celebrating the New Year is a time – honored tradition around the world. It’s about new beginnings and the hope for a better future, but it seems especially poignant when the year we’re leaving behind has been so difficult.
New Year’s Resolutions are therefore likely to be at the top of many people’s to-do lists this holiday season.
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Yes, diets and workouts are on the list — but what about happiness and peace in your life?
Your plans for New Year’s 2024 are going to be a lot different than what they used to be — you may be trading in a New Year’s Eve party for more time on the couch in front of a festive New Year’s movie — and your resolutions may look different, too. The Best New Year Resolutions For 2023
It’s still tradition to decide on a few New Year’s resolutions before the ball drops on December 31, and this year, a renewed focus on your health may be top of mind.
Or, you may be tired thinking about meals or your waistline, in which case you’ll turn your sights on your:
- Mental health, or
- Your sleep routine, or
- The mess in your living room — or
- The mess of your closet!
This year, fill your resolution list with easy, good-for-you goals.
Try one of these simple lifestyle tweaks each day, and you’ll not only jumpstart a healthier body and mind — you’ll feel fantastic and so psyched to make 2024 a much better year than ever before.
There are tips here that will calm you down and ease your stress, help your skin glow, and organize the crazy in your life — maybe you’ll even pick up a cute new daily planner to stay on track!
You’ll find easy ways to squeeze a little more fitness into your busy days and sane strategies for decluttering. New Year Resolution Ideas For Employees.
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And if you are looking for ways to lose weight, we’ve got some surprising, fresh ideas that will help you get there.
This year, it’s time to put you first. For even more “new year, new you” inspiration, don’t miss the inspirational New Year’s quotes.
New Year’s resolutions with a piece of advice. If you are looking for effective ways of changing your life for the better, then you’ll be sure to find tons of useful information here. The Best New Year Resolutions For 2024
Like so many others, if you are looking to reprioritize old commitments and grasp new opportunities in 2024, here are resolutions you could consider.
Most Common Best New Year Resolutions For 2024
1. Write Down Your Goals
While it’s great to have goals, it is critical to document them in some way. Here are six reasons to write down your goals:
- They are easy to forget. While that may seem silly, we are human, and it is human to be easily distracted and forgetful.
- Writing down your resolutions helps you clarify what it is you want to achieve. It forces you to make decisions and be precise with your words.
- Writing establishes intention, but action needs to be taken to achieve your resolution. Having a written account of your goals is a constant reminder to take action.
- Written goals can act as a filter and guiding light for what opportunities to pursue. On any given day, there are a million decisions to make. When in doubt, refer to the goals you have set to dictate the way forward.
- Documented goals will help you overcome resistance to progress. We set goals to move forward, but there is a natural resistance to change. Your written goals spur you forward when you hit a speed bump or obstacle.
- Finally, written goals are a reminder of how far you have come and what you have achieved. It’s a nice feeling to look at back at the end of next year, and know your resolution has come to fruition. It’s a reason to crack open that bottle of champagne and celebrate.
Here are a few ways you can document your Best New Year Resolutions For 2023 :
- Write them in a journal
- Draft an email to yourself
- Store in Evernote or some other note-taking tool
- Print and tape to the wall
2. Share Your Resolutions With Others: The Best New Year Resolutions For 2024
“If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”
It’s great to make a resolution for yourself and maybe even write it down, but if no one else knows about it, it’s easy to forget about or even ignore. And when you don’t achieve it, no one will notice or care.
On the flip side, your counterparts who decided to tell someone about their goal, feel something different.
Now that they’ve gone public with their goal, they feel a sense of obligation and accountability. Essentially, if you don’t follow through, they are going to let everyone down.
Crazy as it sounds, this sense of guilt is often more powerful than self-motivation. The upshot here is that when you do succeed, the people you shared with will celebrate with you!
If you want to take goal sharing to the next level, you could organize a mastermind group. A mastermind group is a collection of highly motivated people who share a common goal and are looking to encourage and help each other improve.
How to do it:
- Find some kindred spirits with similar goals
- Meet regularly (weekly or monthly depending on level of commitment)
- Share setbacks and progress
- Stay motivated!
Now if you don’t have the time or inclination to do the above, another way to achieve the same result is to make a Facebook post declaring your intentions to all your friends. You can bet people will cheer you on and ask about your progress over the course of the year!
3. Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone
As 2022 draws to a close, there is a sense of high anticipation that things will soon get back to ‘normal’, but New Year is also the chance to change things up a bit. The Best New Year Resolutions For 2024
Reflect on what you’ve learned about your old routine this year and challenge yourself to step out of your comfort zone in 2023.
The beauty of this resolution is that it can be accomplished more than once and your goals can be literally anything: take a class in something you know nothing about, try out for a sports team, join a dating app, or work towards conquering a fear.
If you keep trying new things, keep learning, and keep going you might find 2024 to be the most fulfilling year of your life so far.
4. Disconnect From Your Phone: The Best New Year Resolutions For 2024
Today it’s almost impossible to look around without seeing at least one person on their phone. Likewise, if you find yourself constantly reaching for yours it might be time to cut back.
There are plenty of apps you can use to track your weekly screen time and, once you have a grasp of the current situation, you could schedule blocks of time to put your phone away and bring your average down.
If social media has stopped being fun, you might want to take a break from that too – or at least unfollow the accounts that make you feel bad about yourself.
It’s important to recognize if you’ve become addicted to your phone and then to slowly disentangle aspects of your life from it.
Above all, make it your mission to reconnect with reality and focus on living more in the moment.
5. Monitor Social Media Use
Too much social media can be a bad thing—especially when you start comparing your real life to someone’s seemingly picture-perfect online life.
Plan to take a step back this upcoming year, whether spending a day (or more) social media-free or simply reducing the number of times you check your apps in any one day.
6. Drink More Water: The Best New Year Resolutions For 2024
So simple, yet somehow the majority of Americans knowingly don’t drink enough water. (A survey by filtered water service provider Quench found that more than 75% of respondents believed they weren’t getting enough of their daily H2O.)
We’re fans of Purist Collective’s sleek 32-ounce reusable water bottle, which has an “unbreakable” glass interior that’s said to eliminate unwanted tastes from tap water. Multiple colors available.
Those who really need the extra nudge can strap ULLA’s handy hydration reminder to their drinking vessel.
It attaches to most water bottles and uses a blinking light pattern to catch your eye and remind you to take a sip every 30 to 40 minutes.
The device has sensors for daylight and proximity (ensuring that it’s not wasting battery life by blinking in an empty room), as well as an auto on/off setting.
7. Look After Your Finances
The second biggest lesson to come out of 2024 is that the only certainty in life is uncertainty. New Year Resolution Ideas For Couples.
No one could have predicted a global pandemic would strike and yet the events of this year make plain the importance of preparation: both for the future and the possibility of falling on hard times.
This is why it’s a good idea to focus on improving your financial security. This goal will require careful financial planning; such as reviewing household spending, managing debts, increasing cash flow and building up savings.
Creating financial security will not happen overnight but with enough patience and dedication, you could achieve stability and peace of mind – both of which are also vital to your general health and wellness.
8. Create Your Dream Career: The Best New Year Resolutions For 2024
Even if you’re not looking for a new job right now, it’s still wise to keep sharp in case you see a posting that interests you. New Year Resolution Ideas For Work.
Revisit your LinkedIn profile and give it a fresh update, edit and add skills to your résumé, network, subscribe to job alerts, and create an online folder where everything job-related is kept in one place.
This will keep your professional standing in good health now, and be well prepared to nail any job application and interview.
9. Find a Side Hustle
Whether it’s to earn extra cash or to follow a passion that your day job doesn’t satisfy, taking a second job, or Side Hustle, could be a great way to indulge your deeper, more fulfilling interests.
At the very least, you’ll learn more about work/life balance and develop some pretty major time management skills.
10. Build a Better Budget: The Best New Year Resolutions For 2024
11. Look After Your Mental Health
In addition to making time for other people, it’s also vital to keep some for yourself to avoid burnout.
To get the most out of your downtime, you should do things you enjoy – such as take a bubble bath, listen to relaxing music or watch a feel good movie.
Self-care isn’t just about pampering either – it could be going for a run, practicing yoga or meditating. You could even consider taking on a pet, as caring for a pet has many emotional, mental and physical benefits.
Whatever your method, it’s time to shake off the stress of this year and look forward to feeling refreshed in the new.
The most important thing to keep in mind however is if you find yourself struggling with your mental health, don’t be afraid to ask for help.
12. Eat Healthier: The Best New Year Resolutions For 2024
This is usually an extension of the previous resolution. Switching to a healthier diet can be incredibly tricky when we are surrounded by cheap junk food.
However, with a good amount of determination and some basic tips, you can slowly develop healthier eating habits. Learn to control emotional eating, be aware of reasons for diets to fail, and have a look at these awesome and healthy recipes.
13. Set Up Your Home Sweat Station
The thinking goes that if you invest in a piece of exercise equipment for your New Year’s resolution, you’ll resolve to make the most of your money. The Best New Year Resolutions For 2024
In a non-pandemic year, most gym memberships are lucky if they make it past March, and that’s where MYXfitness’ machine learning-based platform comes in.
A survey conducted by the fitness company found less than a quarter of non-exercisers believe they’ll stick to their sweat plan, citing lack of time and motivation among the reasons.
The brand’s membership-based SmartMYX develops a custom workout program based on users’ health goals (such as improving cardio, strength, and flexibility) and their realistic amount of exercise time.
Each plan calibrates heart rate zones specifically for members so that their workouts are efficient and effective, and users will get a weekly workut schedule and report that helps improve their results.
The platform will adjust its recommendations based on your activity, and SmartMYX’s app lets you schedule workouts to keep you accountable.
As far as the gear, MYXfitness’ MYX Plus package includes everything you need to set up your new home workout station.
You’ll get a stationary Star Trac bike with an interactive 21.5-inch touch screen, a stabilizing mat, heart rate monitor, an oversized exercise mat, an EVA foam roller, a resistance band, three sets of hand weights, and a kettlebell.
The SmartMYX membership costs $29 per month and includes access to its full library of workouts (including new classes each week) for all levels, heart rate monitoring and reporting, progress tracking, and more.
14. Make New Friends: The Best New Year Resolutions For 2024
Okay, we admit that it’s not always easy to make new friends (especially in times like these), but there’s no reason to stop trying.
Join a new Facebook group for a group you’re interested in, or volunteer your time to an organization in need—others may also be trying to meet new people, too, which can alleviate some of the pressure.
15. Live More Sustainably
The New Year is the perfect time to change your lifestyle and start living life the way you want to live it.
It’s become increasingly obvious that human activity is having a detrimental impact on our planet, but there are things you can do to help tackle environmental challenges.
Even little changes could have a big impact; for example, you could eat less meat, use reusable utensils and shopping bags, shop locally and leave your car at home on certain days.
As a consumer, you also have the power to decide what corporations your cash supports.
An argument could be made that there’s no longer room for brands that don’t do the right thing, and you can become an advocate for change simply by purchasing from companies that are sustainable, pay fair wages and are committed to being cruelty free.
16. Pursue An Aspiration: The Best New Year Resolutions For 2024
Everyone has a list of aspirations, dreams and grand ambitions. If there’s one thing at the back of your mind however, that you’ve always talked about doing but somehow never found the time for, then make 2024 the year you really pursue it.
Do you have an idea for a book? Have you always wanted to research your family tree? Do you long to learn a language?
Or run a marathon? If you’re going to stick to this resolution, you’ll need to pick the goal that excites you the most – and then find a way to set it in motion by taking small steps towards it every day.
17. Give Your Home Office a Cool Makeover
Don’t have an eye for interior design, but itching for a stylish and clean slate in your space?
Whether you’ll be working from home indefinitely or you’re just bored of your house, Havenly’s online service lets you work with professional interior designers who’ll dream up a new look for any room in your pad.
You’ll set your budget, take a quiz to determine your aesthetic, and get a customized design plan with a curated shopping list.
If you choose Havenly’s Full package, you’ll also get layout visualizations so you can “see” your room’s makeover and a custom floor plan.
Both the Mini and Full options include a personal ordering team who’ll source products from local and national home furnishings and décor vendors (think cool brands like CB2, West Elm, Article, Minted, Interior Define, and others).
18. Read More Books: The Best New Year Resolutions For 2024
This year more people than ever have found solace in books. There is pure enjoyment and escapism to be found in reading. New Year Resolution For Students.
Even if you didn’t discover a love of reading during lockdown, there are many reasons to make it a resolution for next year.
Reading can teach you something new and expands your worldview, it’s proven to lower stress levels, improve memory and concentration, and contributes to better writing skills.
You could set a numerical goal – reading say 30 books by the end of the year. Alternatively, you could diversify your bookshelf by trying out new genres or selecting works by authors from across the world.
19. Invest In Your Relationships
We’ve come to appreciate, now more than ever, the simple joy of being with the people we love, which is why you should show appreciation to them in ways big and small.
Try to make time for family and friends, but remember the quality of time spent together is what matters most.
If distance proves an obstacle, even a simple phone call could mean the world to someone you love – and it’s a chance to ask how they’re doing and if they need any support.
Moreover, as we get older and life gets more hectic, we can too easily forget how important it is to have friends.
Challenge yourself to invest more in your friendships, look to build new ones and perhaps reach out to someone who once meant a lot to you but with whom you’ve since lost touch.
20. Plan That Once In A Lifetime Trip
Everyone has a dream destination – the 1 place that you would give just about anything to visit.
Undoubtedly, your wanderlust will have been stoked by the inactivity of this year and now that a vaccine has arrived, the New Year is definitely the time to finally think about travel once again.
You will have to be realistic about where and when you can go as well as what you can afford. Still if travel is your priority, you will find a way to make sufficient preparations to turn your dream into a plan of action.
So what are you waiting for? Take the plunge and start planning that once in a lifetime trip.
21. Focus On Improving Your Health: The Best New Year Resolutions For 2024
One of the biggest lessons to come out of 2021 is the importance of staying healthy, and this is why a healthy lifestyle should be your number one priority for the New Year and beyond.
You will need to determine what success looks like in order to set the right goals. Do you need to quit smoking or drinking? How much weight do you want to lose (or gain)? How often are you going to exercise? Do you need a nutrition plan?
Be specific and maybe keep a record of your progress – because reaching little milestones along the way will help you stay on track.
You’ll also need to make the journey realistic and enjoyable; for example, try to find activities and healthy foods you actually like. Whatever your ambition, make 2024 the year you take control of your health.
22. Cook One New Thing Each Week
25. Quit Smoking: The Best New Year Resolutions For 2024
26. Love Yourself Unconditionally
Loving yourself just as you are, without restrictions (and not for who you will become one day) is challenging for most people.
Resolve to love yourself this year and beyond by practicing self-care, healing old wounds, exiting toxic relationships, forgiving yourself for mistakes and indiscretions (perceived or otherwise), and accepting yourself in the here and now.
27. Cultivate Compassion
We never really know what’s going on in someone else’s life.
Before you get mad at a friend for canceling plans or mutter under your breath when a stranger does something to annoy you, teach yourself to pause and summon some compassion before huffing and puffing—and remember that it’s probably not about you.
28. Let Others In: The Best New Year Resolutions For 2024
The existential concept of “being seen” basically enables one to harness the vulnerability in exposing our true selves to others in order to foster greater self-confidence.
Shed that hard outer shell and instead, try letting friends and loved ones “in” by sharing intimate (not necessarily painful, although that’s allowed) details of your life.
You’ll be surprised to find that many others have had the same experiences, and in turn, they’ll feel comfortable sharing more of themselves with you, too.
29. Give Up Vices
While smoking, drinking, and unhealthy eating are the usual suspects, other bad habits may be festering for you, such as avoidance, self-sabotaging, or constant worrying.
These can fly under the radar and rob you of your happiness just the same.
Resolve to carve out time to identify and understand your bad habits, whatever they are, and finally break them for good.
30. Commute Productively
The U.S. workforce typically spent an average of 4.35 hours a week and over 200 hours (that’s nearly nine whole days) a year commuting to and from work.
Though many of us are embracing that WFH life, it is great to consider ways to optimize your commute for the future.
Instead of letting precious time go to waste, listen to audiobooks and podcasts to boost your productivity while improving your overall experience.
31. Stay Optimistic: The Best New Year Resolutions For 2024
Pessimism is so over. Make a New Year’s resolution to always see the light at the end of the tunnel.
If you’re not particularly good at being optimistic, whether due to inherited pessimism (yes, it’s a thing), past hurts, or just a general malaise regarding the future, then good news: you can train your brain to adopt a “glass-half-full” outlook to better cope during, and after, times of hardship.
32. Quit Apologizing
Many of us have the habit of apologizing for passively uttering “I’m sorry,” even when we haven’t made an error and/or when things aren’t our fault.
This year, learn to save your sorry’s for when they’re absolutely necessary—and for whenever you really mean it.
33. Spend Time With Yourself
Although humans are social beings, learning to be solitary and do things alone isn’t always second-nature.
It’s perfectly okay to keep yourself company and forego socializing to get familiar with numero uno, which we’re all getting a lot more comfortable with in recent.
Flying solo, whether it’s to see a movie, dine out, or go on vacation helps build independence and self-confidence.
This year, try forcing yourself out of your comfort zone and do something you wouldn’t normally do without your squad in tow.
34. Practice Patience
Yes, patience is a virtue, and it’s one that can be notoriously difficult to foster and maintain. But science says that waiting for things only makes us happier.
Take the next year to learn how to be patient with yourself and others. For starters, work to identify your triggers, know why they make you impatient, and practice some deep breathing.
35. Conquer a Fear: The Best New Year Resolutions For 2024
What things do you typically avoid like the plague?
Whether you loathe speaking in public, detest snakes and spiders, or you’re scared of some imaginary tragedy that has yet to happen, fear isn’t something to hold onto—especially since it will always return and prevent you from living your best life.
This year, resolve to face fear head-on and release yourself from its choking grasp.
36. Stop Procrastinating
Mark Twain had it right when he opined, “Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.” Begin by taking a few minutes to make a list of the things you were going to do tomorrow—and yes, do at least one of those things today.
Start imagining how you’ll feel if you actually tackled all the stuff you’ve been putting off.
Make a New Year’s resolution to stop procrastinating, whether it’s vowing to have those conversations you’ve been avoiding, doing laundry on a more regular basis, or clearing your email inbox.
37. Spread Kindness
There’s actually scientific evidence that being kind makes you feel calmer, healthier, and happier—and it’s also contagious.5 Make the world a better place by resolving to do one kind thing or more for a stranger every day or month.
Random acts of kindness can include buying coffee for the person waiting in line behind you or paying someone a nice compliment.
To help make it a daily practice, download a free Kindness Calendar from RandomActsofKindness.org, a nonprofit that invests its resources into making kindness the norm in schools, workplaces, and beyond.
38. Care for Something: The Best New Year Resolutions For 2024
Sure, we all need to practice self-care to live our best lives, but what about nurturing something other than yourself? If you’re not currently the parent of a plant, pet, or any other living thing, then spend the upcoming year trying it out.
A 2016 study revealed that taking care of pets, for example, decreases anxiety, promotes a sense of safety, and increases confidence. 10 Certain houseplants, too, have been shown to improve well-being, raise productivity, and lower blood pressure
39. Accept Change
In life, change is one of the only constants. Learning to accept it can be difficult, especially if you’re change-averse. Remember that change is what allows us to grow and become more comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Make a resolution to embrace the unknown and think more positively about any changes that occur.
40. Dream Bigger
Reflect on your current dreams and aspirations and ask yourself if they’re truly as big as they can be. Create your next, positive life phase by training yourself to think beyond what you imagine you can achieve.
Cast doubt aside, concentrate only on what you love and that which makes you most fulfilled, and open yourself up to new possibilities in the coming year.
50. Treat Yourself Kindly
Mistakes and bad days are both inevitable.
If you find you’re apt to browbeat rather than show yourself kindness spend the next year working to reverse this negative habit—it only breeds anxiety and depression.
Practicing mindfulness, regular exercise, healthy eating, and ample sleep all help to foster self-compassion.
51. Practice Gratitude: The Best New Year Resolutions For 2024
All successful people practice gratitude to feel healthier, happier, and more at peace with themselves—and they do so daily.
Fostering gratitude means writing down a few things you’re thankful for and why. You could also begin your days by vocalizing what you’re grateful for or meditate on your gratitude’s in silence.
Cultivating this habit in the new year can even help you sleep better and be kinder to others,4 according to New York Times writer John Tierney, who researched the “attitude of gratitude,” back in 2011.
52. Become More Romantic
Romance is often the first casualty in longer, more serious relationships, but it doesn’t have to wither away.
A few romantic gestures here and there can keep the passion going for decades. It will be fun, even if you’re not the romantic type.
53. Be More Social: The Best New Year Resolutions For 2024
Getting out and socializing has its perks.
You get to have fun, meet new people, and find out interesting things, but you can also develop leadership skills and learn to work in a team, so this is a very good New Year’s resolution to add to your list.
Even if you are an introvert or very shy and feel uncomfortable talking to others, there are ways to become a fairly active member of a community.
54. Declutter Your Space
A clean home is a happy home. Quell anxiety and stress by tidying up and decluttering everything around you.
Tackle the refrigerator, cabinets, messy drawers, desks, and closets. Toss everything you haven’t used in six months, donate what you don’t love or need, and get ready to celebrate the new year with new clarity and peace of mind.
55. Develop More Creativity
There are times when we get mentally fatigued and our creativity just goes out the window. This is particularly bad if your job or hobby depends on you coming up with fresh ideas and thinking outside the box.
As with anything else, there are many resources that help you spark your creativity in a number of different ways.
56. Meet New People
When we get stuck in a rut, we usually end up staying at home most of the time, missing out on a lot of interesting opportunities for networking and having fun.
Meeting new people can be beneficial to your Mental Well-Being and help your career, so don’t be afraid to get out there and make some friends.
This is a good New Year’s Resolution, but it can be difficult for shy people. Start by just saying yes when a friend asks you to go out one evening. This is a great first step toward meeting new people.
57. Set a Goal That Motivates You: The Best New Year Resolutions For 2024
You would be surprised how often people set goals that are not for themselves. These goals could be dictated or coerced by a manager, spouse, or parental / peer pressure.
While it’s nice to have some external support, if you don’t share the same passion, the resolution has a small chance of succeeding and could even be dead on arrival.
To do this, you need to make sure the goal you set is important to you and only you and that there is value or benefit for you in achieving the goal.
It is these two things that will provide the reason and willingness to take action. This is also known as motivation!
Thus, it’s a safe bet if your resolutions align with the following:
- Your goals
- Priorities
- Dreams and
- Your Aspirations
Not only should you align around your inner-most desires, but you should also make sure the resolutions align around your top priorities. This will lead to a “must do” attitude.
If your goals are career-centric, like improving your Excel skills, creating your own professional development plan is a great way to stay motivated on the path towards your goal.
58. Review Your Resolution Regularly
Let’s face it, if you are not thinking about your resolution regularly, you are not going to follow through. Thus, a crucial part of realizing your goal is a regular review.
At a minimum, this review should be monthly, but the more frequent the better.
Here’s one way to build in goal review into your routine.
- Schedule a monthly “big picture” review during the first week of each month. This will serve as a planning meeting where you distribute smaller tasks and goals to different weeks throughout the month.
- Do a weekly check-in to check progress on the monthly goal.
- Set a daily reminder for smaller resolution tasks.
It may seem a little crazy to think about your resolution every single day, but it is those smaller incremental steps that lead to massive changes over the course of a single year.
58. Limit Resolutions to a Manageable Amount
A common mistake in resolution setting is having too many and spreading yourself too thin. We all want to learn 25 different languages, 15 new job skills, and eliminate 5 bad habits, but we are not superheroes.
We only have so much attention span we can dedicate to self-improvement, so having too many resolutions is a great way not to achieve the many goals you have set out for yourself.
Thus, you should make a short list of resolutions that you can manage in the upcoming year. Knowing that short list of priorities is the hard part. The key here is understanding how to prioritize.
Here is an exercise that you can undertake to help you figure out what is most important in your life. All you need is a post-it pad, a pen, and a wall.
- Write anything you want to accomplish for self-improvement purposes on a post-it
- Each post-it only gets one discreet tactic
- Place each post-it on the wall
- Go crazy – use as many post-its as possible
- Group together similar post-its
- Place the topics you feel strongly about at the top of the wall
- Put the topics you feel “meh” about on the bottom
- Spend a lot of time thinking about the order of the first 3-5 post-it (groups)
As you might suspect, #8 is the most time-consuming, because it will determine what resolutions you are going to take on this year.
The final piece of the puzzle here is knowing your limitations and personal bandwidth. With that in mind, you should focus on your top priorities while balancing how much attention you can honestly devote to a resolution.
Final thought: It’s better to tackle one resolution well than multiple resolutions poorly.
60. Automate Where Possible: The Best New Year Resolutions For 2024
A stitch in time saves nine.
The good news is you probably have technology in your pocket that can help you follow through on your resolution – automation in the form of reminder apps.
Nowadays there are a million different apps and services to help you follow through on your resolutions. These free tools can help provide a constant reminder:
- Google Calendar: Set a recurring meeting tied to your resolution, i.e. scheduling workout sessions at the gym.
- Google Now: Personal assistant that provides information as you need it.
- Reminders (on iOS): Set up timed alerts for tasks.
- Boomerang for Gmail: Schedule reminder emails to yourself (Freemium).
On top of these commonly used apps, there are also “to-do list” and task management apps that have the ability to schedule reminders and milestones. Here are a few popular choices:
- Asana
- Trello
- Todoist
- Microsoft To Do
- Omni focus
- Things
Note: All of these apps listed above won’t help you do the work, but they do serve a constant reminder of the work that needs to be done.
61. Be Specific: The Best New Year Resolutions For 2024
When it comes to setting resolutions, it’s easy to set bad goals that could lead to poor follow through. Fortunately, SMART goal setting framework can help you craft better goals.
SMART goals are:
- Specific – Articulate the resolution as clearly as possible. For example, quitting smoking is better than being healthy. While “being healthy” is great, the wording can be interpreted in many ways.
- Measurable – Quantify your resolution if possible, i.e. I will lose 10% of my body weight.
- Attainable – Choose a goal within the realm of possibility, but yet challenging. Making 100 friends this year would be amazing, but probably pretty hard to do. On the other, making 10 new friends is doable.
- Relevant – Keep it relevant to your priorities and goals. See motivation section above!
- Time-sensitive – Give yourself a time-frame in which to achieve a goal. A deadline will instill some urgency and provide a time when you can celebrate your success.
63. Break up Big Goals Into Smaller Goals
A lot of us tend to be over eager and grandiose when it comes to resolutions. We have the best of intentions and may accidentally take on a goal that is too big to achieve. Thus, it’s helpful to divide a big goal into smaller goals that are more achievable.
Let’s say you are the leader of an alien race, and your resolution for 2023 is capturing the planet Earth. That is a huge goal!! You can’t just tell your intergalactic fleet of spaceships “take over planet Earth” and expect success.
You have to chunk up this big crazy feat into smaller more management accomplishments:
- Claim New York City
- Sack the Tri-state area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut
- Dominate Eastern Seaboard
- Capture the United States of America
- Occupy North America
Similarly, you can break up your year-long resolution into weekly or monthly goals. And have tasks planned for each month.
- January: North America
- March: South America
- May: European
- July: Asia
- September: Africa
By breaking your tactical plan into discrete steps, you now have a pretty good chance of world domination by the end of the year.
Now chunking up a big goal is easier said than done. Here are a few tips to help you make your massive goal more achievable:
- Create a list of sub-tasks
- Prioritize and order them
- Use a visual map to display
- Assign milestones to each task
- Allocate resources accordingly
- Focus on the next step, not the big goal
- Decide how much time each task requires
64. If You Fall off Track, Get Back On Quick
Rome was not built in a day.
We’ve established it will take time for your resolution to become a reality and we know change is difficult. In fact, we’ve already established we should leave some room for mistakes and setbacks.
Keep the following ideas in mind:
- Skipping an intermediate task is not a complete failure
- Missing a goal by 10% or even 80% is not a complete failure
- Finishing a task late is not a complete failure
- A moment of weakness is meaningless in the grand scheme of things
Setbacks can happen, but so long as they are handled correctly, they will not impact the big goal. The key is to avoid a defeatist attitude at all costs, i.e. “Well I screwed up once, why should I even try to do this anymore.”
And if there is a setback, it’s important to understand what lead to that moment, and how you can avoid a similar situation in the future, i.e. “If I play video games after work, I will not go to the gym. Don’t play video games after work!”
Once a mistake is made, own it and move on to the next thing. For example, if you skipped a study session, make it up tomorrow, and keep on moving. A few small mistakes shouldn’t spoil your resolution for the year!
Making Your New Year’s Resolutions Happen
Despite the Best of Intentions, once the glow of a fresh new year wears off, many people struggle to make good on their plans. The Best New Year Resolutions For 2024
According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, only 46% of people who made New Year’s resolutions were successful.
That means over half of the people who set a goal for the new year will fail!
The study also involved non-resolvers, people who did not make a New Year’s resolution, but had a goal they wanted to achieve that year.
Only 4% of non-resolvers were successful at achieving their goals, a far bleaker result than those who did make a New Year’s resolution.
Naturally, we don’t want to be in the camp of folks that fail to achieve their aspirations and dreams for 2023, so we’ve put together an exhaustive plan for following through on your resolution.
Every year, millions of people Make New Year’s Resolutions, hoping to spark positive change.
The recurring themes each year include a more active approach to health and fitness, improved finances, and learning new things for personal and professional development.
Chances are, more than a couple of the top 10 most common resolutions will look familiar to you:
- Lose weight
- Travel more
- Quit smoking
- Exercise more
- Get organized
- Live life to the fullest
- Learn a new skill or hobby
- Save more money / spend less money
- Spend more time with family and friends
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