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New Years Resolutions That Will Actually Make Your Life Better

New year’s resolutions can make way for you to lead a healthier & happier life. Make your goals SMART & turn them into practicable habits.

AF

Amira Fleming

Published August 31, 2023

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New Year’s Day is that time of the year when you hit the proverbial “reset button.” Some people make a resolution to lose weight, while some plan on spending more time with their family. A New Year’s resolution, when done mindfully, can have ripple effects on your health, happiness and professional success.   

This article is here to present you with all the deets about new year’s resolutions and the most popular resolutions in the year 2022. We’ll also take a look at what makes a good new year’s resolution and how to make your resolutions stick. So, let’s get started!  

What is a New Year’s Resolution?

First thing first, what is a new year’s resolution? A resolution is essentially a promise to yourself to renew your life and be a better version of yourself. So, new year’s resolutions are the goals that you set for yourself at the beginning of each year. New year’s resolutions are typically focused on improving yourself in every possible way.

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Humans have been making New Year’s resolutions to be better for a long time. As per The Economist, the first New Year’s resolutions were set in ancient Babylonia more than 4,000 years ago. Locals thought that if they made and kept vows to pay off debts and return borrowed items, their gods would reward them the following year. 

Legend says the Babylonians’ resolutions were centred on money and prosperity. These ideals may still be seen in New Year’s resolutions today. For modern times new year’s resolutions, more emphasis is placed on health, fitness, career, productivity, and relationship goals.

Setting self-improvement goals yearly is a secular habit nowadays. However, the practice’s origins are obvious. So take advantage of a natural breakpoint, like as the start of a new year, to reflect on your life and decide to be a better person in the future.

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What are the Most Popular New Year’s Resolutions?

As January approaches, people indulge in retrospection and reevaluate their life choices. Also, new year’s resolutions provide the perfect opportunity for all those who fail to set goals and stick to them. New year’s resolution is about setting goals and bringing a sense of clarity to them. 

“What the new year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to this new year.” – Vern McLellan.

Vern McLellan.

So, now is your chance to sit down and prepare a list of lifestyle changes you want to make this year. And we want to help you by giving you an idea of what are the most popular new year resolutions.

So, here is the list of the 10 most popular new year’s resolutions, with a piece of advice attached to each of them. You will surely find some useful picks for your new year’s resolution if you are looking for effective ways to alter your life for the better.     

Get in Shape

Losing weight has always been one of the top new year’s resolutions for the British. In combination with exercising more and staying healthy, getting in shape is something over a third of the population wishes to achieve.

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While it is easy enough to start an exercise and diet program, the real trick is to find a decent one. You want to follow a nutritious diet and exercises that will give you steady results. Not to mention, this will be easy to stick to in the long run.

Eat Healthy 

Eating healthy is actually an extension of our previous popular new year’s resolution. However, eating a healthy and balanced diet might be hard to main throughout the day. It is especially true with all the tempting junk food surrounding us. 

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Regardless, with a good amount of determination and some basic tips, you can develop healthier eating habits. 

Go Out & Meet New People  

For the past few years, we usually stayed at home most of the time while missing out on enjoying life. And eventually, it started feeling like we got stuck in a rut with no chance for networking or having fun. This year, make a resolution to make more effort in getting to know new people.

Several studies have found meeting new people can be beneficial for your mental wellbeing. Not to mention, sometimes the people you meet can really come through to help your career. So, do not be afraid to get out there and make some new friends this year.

Be More Active  

Are you one of those people who don’t have a weight problem but sit around at home or at work most of the time? Then chances are your habits are probably having a negative effect on your posture and health.  So, you need to find ways of moving around more throughout the day instead of staying hunched over the computer. It will be even more fun for you if you share your activities with friends and family. 

Be Polite & Friendly 

Being a part of a civilised society, having good manners has always been deemed important. You can easily connect with others with your good manners and polite nature. Being polite can help you avoid offending people and stay in the good books of people. It also ensures that others perceive you as a good and trustworthy person.   

Get More & Better Sleep

It might be difficult to get adequate sleep at night when there are large TVs, laptops, cellphones, tablets, and other gadgets with bright lights and blaring warnings. You should aim for at least 8 hours of sleep every night, and there are a variety of easy methods to get there. 

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The first step is to put those devices away for at least one hour before going to bed. This will help you fall asleep faster by allowing your thoughts to go to bedtime mode.

Rearrange or Redecorate Your Space

Are you more inclined towards upgrading your space and surrounding rather than doing a bunch of inner work this year? The space and environment we live in directly impact how we feel. So, it is completely okay to focus on your outer experience as one of your new year’s resolutions. 

Take some time out to look at your physical space and whether it reflects where you want to be. Your physical space should reflect whatever you want to achieve this year. For instance, if you have a WFH office, ask yourself if the space is supporting your productivity and growth. 

You need to realise our experience can often mirror where we are in our lives. So, if you are feeling bogged down, now might be the perfect opportunity to declutter. And clear out the old things out of your space that no longer serve you. 

Read More

Now more than ever, people are finding their solace in books. You can find pure enjoyment and an escape while reading your favourite novel or science fiction. If you haven’t discovered your love of reading during the lockdown already, then now is your chance to turn it into a new year’s resolution.

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Reading a book can teach you something new every day, and it expands your world view. Additionally, reading has proven to lower stress levels, improve memory and concentration. It also contributes to better writing skills. Set a numerical goal for reading books as a new year resolution this year. For instance, set a goal of reading at least 30 books by the end of this year.

Additionally, you can diversify your bookshelf by trying out new genres or selecting works by authors from across the world. 

Go on That Trip You’ve Always been Planning for    

Admit it; we have all dreamt of taking trips across the world with no specific destination in mind. So, this new year, make a resolution of making your dream of a road trip true. You might also have a dream destination that you would give anything to visit.

woman-on-a-road-trip

While the travel ban for the past few years have interfered with your wanderlust, this new year is finally the time to get your suitcases out again. If travel is your priority, chances are you have been saving up for the dream trip around the world for a long time. So, take the plunge and start planning for that once in a lifetime trip this year.

Learn Something New 

Most people at the beginning of a new year make a plan to pick up on one or two new skills for the year. As popular as learning something new is as a new year’s resolution, it is also one of the most broken new year’s resolutions. As it goes, learning something new can be frustrating and hard. Not to mention it drains your energy and time.

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But the trick with learning new things is to start off small. For instance, if you wanna pick up a new language, start out beginner lessons on a language learning app. This will save you from the drudgery of signing up for a language class without demo lessons. 

With language apps, the commitment becomes easy, and you can figure out whether the language will be fun enough to learn. In essence, you should start with trials and then build up your skill later when you start enjoying it.

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How to Make Good New Year’s Resolutions?

All of us make resolutions at the beginning of each new year, but not all of us see these through. So, how to make good new year’s resolutions and keep them as well?  Here is how you can identify some good new year’s resolutions and get a few new year resolution ideas while you are at it. 

You will give yourself the best shot at success if you pick the right resolution and set a goal that is doable.  Because if you don’t make the correct resolutions, many of these resolutions will fail. A resolution might be incorrect for one of three reasons. First, if it’s a resolution based on what you’ve been told to alter by others or the society. Second, it’s really too ambiguous. Third, you don’t have a strategy for sticking to your resolution.

Your objectives should be wise and SMART— specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. SMART is an acronym developed in the journal Management Review in 1981.

Specific

Your resolution should be unmistakable. Make a specific goal rather than just stating, ‘I want to reduce weight,’ is critical. You want to set a goal with questions in mind, like how much weight do you want to lose? And when do you want to lose it?

Measurable

This may seem self-evident if your objective is to improve your fitness or lose weight. But it’s as crucial if you’re attempting to cut back on something. For instance, if you wish to quit biting your nails, take photographs of your nails over time. So this way, you can measure your progress in how they grow back out. 

No matter what your resolution is, logging your success in a notebook or making notes on your phone or an app will help you track behaviours. It is a good way for you to stay on track.

Achievable

This isn’t to say that enormous stretch objectives aren’t possible. Trying to take too great a step too soon, on the other hand, might leave you frustrated. It could also have an adverse effect on other parts of your life.  

Setting difficult goals might lead you to frustration. Moreover, if your resolution takes over your life, you, your friends, and your family might fall apart.  For instance, deciding to save enough money to retire when you’re 30 is certainly unrealistic. But if you still set a goal like this and become obsessed, it certainly will impact your personal and social wellbeing. 

With financial goals, aiming to save an extra £100 every month could be an easy resolution. But if that’s too easy, bump it up to an extra £200, £300, or £400 every month.

Relevant

Is this a goal that you care about and that you’re pursuing for the correct reasons? New Year’s resolutions typically don’t last long if you do it out of self-hatred or guilt. Also, it might not last long if you show great passion at the time but not throughout the entire year. 

Try to develop a process in which you think more about what’s good for you and change the structure of your life.  You could also try surrounding yourself with others who will support that determination. Finally, you need to believe and tell yourself every day that you have a fighting chance to achieve all your goals this year.

Time-Bound

The timescale for achieving your objective, just like “achievable,” should be practical. That means you need to give yourself plenty of time to complete the task. Also, try setting plenty of smaller intermediate goals in place along the way. Concentrate on these modest victories so that you may make steady development. Remember while forming a habit that you are planning for the next decade, not just the next few months.

What Percentage of New Year’s Resolutions Fail? And Why?

Before you begin with your new year’s resolution, know that most resolutions fail before they even begin. According to research done by Forbes, 80% of new year resolutions fail by the month of February each year. However, this year yours doesn’t have to fail. 

Most new year’s resolutions fail because of not making smart goals. Firstly, your new year’s goals need to be specific, measurable, achievable and time-bound. Second, you have to determine why you want to accomplish the goal you have set. Despite all of that, many new year’s resolutions tend to fail. 

There are several reasons why most new year’s resolutions don’t stick. Let’s take a look at three main reasons why your new year’s resolutions might fail. 

Unrealistic Resolutions

New year’s resolutions should be about what you would like to do to better yourself this year. Unfortunately, most people make their resolutions either too hard to achieve or too simple to get easily bored with. That is why it is critical to review your resolutions to see if they are achievable. Ask questions like whether the resolutions are quantifiable and specific in nature. 

Also, ask yourself whether it’s possible to achieve the set goals within a specific time frame. In order to successfully achieve a resolution, your goals should be reasonable, and your behaviour needs to reflect on achieving the resolution.

Self Doubt

Your past failure should not dictate your future, rather you should learn from your mistakes. Celebrate the tiny victories because they will motivate you to achieve the larger ones. Self-doubting only drains your energy and damages your attention span. Practice thankfulness as you progress with your new year’s resolution. 

new-years-goal-planning-positive-attitude

Most new year’s resolutions fail when people let a minor setback deter them from believing in themselves. However, believing in yourself will let you achieve a lot with proper planning and execution. 

Unclear Goals

A majority of the population fail to complete their new year resolution because their goals are unclear. Most people can’t tell why they set these goals in the first place. However, the ‘why’ is what motivates people to take action and achieve goals. Unless you can tell why you want what you want, you can never figure out how to get it. 

Thus, it is important to stay mindful of and take action to stick to one’s new year resolution. Before fixing any goals, you should start with your future self in your mind. Make that image big and bright, and hold onto it as a daily reminder. Remember to enjoy the process of change and transformation.

How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions?

It takes time and effort to form new habits out of your new year’s resolutions. Although a new habit may not become automatic overnight, you may be able to reap some of its benefits sooner rather than later. It’s kind of like when you don’t take regular walks or indulge in stress-relieving activities, and you don’t feel quite right. 

So continue to nudge yourself in the direction you want to go. Also, use the following three suggestions to help you make long-term changes.

Commitment

Make a pledge to those you don’t want to disappoint, either in writing or verbally. This will motivate you to persevere in the face of adversity. If you consider yourself a brave person, set up a Facebook page dedicated to your weight-loss ambitions. 

To your partner or kid, a teacher, doctor, boss, or friends, you can make a less public pledge. Do you require further assistance? Then post your commitment on Facebook, tweet it to your followers, or look for people online who share your aims.

Use a Planner and Calendar

How to keep a New Year’s resolution? Scheduling constantly is one of the most effective strategies to keep on track with your resolutions. Using an online calendar to arrange your to-do list can help you miss fewer deadlines, stay organised, and prioritise your most critical chores. 

The idea is to approach your personal to-do list in the same way that a software development team might approach an agile project. For example, planners can help you break huge chores down into incremental, iterative projects. And you can re-prioritise the tasks as needed. 

Collaborate with an Accountability Partner

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There might be someone you know personally who shares the same goals and resolutions as you this year. Being each other’s accountability partners, you can help each other to turn the resolutions into habits. You can set a regular schedule to check-in and keep each other on track.

Additionally, there will be a multitude of ways to remind and motivate each other to practice the resolutions. Also, try to celebrate achievements, no matter how small it is. Celebrations will further encourage you and your accountability partner to pursue resolutions with an energetic attitude.

So, What’s Your New Year’s Resolution?

So, have you figured out what’s your new year’s resolution yet? New year’s resolutions aren’t always successful. Unfortunately, deciding that you want to improve your life isn’t enough to make it happen. People who made specific resolutions, on the other hand, are more likely to succeed than those who desired to improve but didn’t commit to a specific objective.

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We recommend that you spend the first few days of the new decade reflecting on why those things are so important. It doesn’t matter if you succeeded in achieving each of your new year’s resolutions or not. But, if you find yourself at a crossroads in the path, rely on those why’s of your new year’s resolution. And you will get exactly where you want to be!

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