10 New Year's Resolution Ideas to Improve Your Life

The year is almost over, and it's time to look forward to a fresh twelve months. With the imminent flip of the calendar page to January 1, there is the irresistible impulse to make New Year's resolutions. Yet, how effective are they?

A 2023 Forbes magazine poll found that about half of the respondents made resolutions for the new year, but their commitment to keeping them varied. Nearly two-thirds gave up within 120 days, and the other third threw in the towel by ten months. Only 1% stuck it out until the last 60 days of the year.

How long did your New Year's Resolution last?

Why is it so hard to make New Year’s resolutions last? According to a CBS News Healthwatch report, for a resolution to be successful, it needs to be converted into a habit. The report cites three steps for creating such habits:

1. Identify a cue - This is something that activates your brain to do the new, positive behavior. For example, you could set a reminder on your phone to exercise.
2. Create a small, actionable routine – Make the habit behavior small enough that you will be less likely to avoid doing it. Using the exercise example again, make the activity easy to do so the temptation to procrastinate is minimized. Once this becomes a habit, you can add more activity, a little bit at a time.
3. Choose a reward – Provide positive reinforcement for accomplishing the action. It can be physical or emotional. For example, if you are trying to stop smoking, treat yourself to a restaurant meal at the end of every week that you avoid using tobacco.

New Year's Resolutions Inspiration

So, what will you put on your New Year's resolutions list? The possibilities are endless, but if you are looking for ideas, here are some suggestions.

Eat Healthier – Eat Better – Eat Consistently

Too often, we find ourselves hurrying through the day, not realizing that we haven't stopped to eat breakfast or lunch. Food is fuel for the body, and without it, we don't take long to start slowing down.

New Year's Resolution – Promise yourself that you will eat better, make healthier choices, and eat at the same time every day to provide balance. Set your phone alarms to go off when you are supposed to sit down and eat. Set the alarm to go off one hour ahead of time so that you have time to prepare the food. Go online to find videos and recipes, ensuring you have something new to eat each day or each week.

Spend More Time with Family

With today’s busy lifestyles, it’s ironic that we often end up spending less time with our friends and family than we’d like. The good news is that it is easier than ever to spend time together without being in the same room. Your resolution could include utilizing technology like Zoom calls, which work great if you don't live near family or it’s otherwise difficult to meet face to face.

New Year's Resolution – Send out an invite to family members for a recurring call on a specific day and time. Make it a point to be there regularly at the same time. It can be a virtual party where everyone has a snack and a beverage, allowing them to gather online for a festive get-together.

Write a Memoir

Maybe this is something you’ve always wanted to do for you, your siblings, and future generations, but you put it off because it seems like so much writing. The best way to approach it is to break it into chunks and commit to writing for 15 minutes each week. You can increase the weekly goal if you are so inclined. Once you get going, you might be surprised how easy it is to get a lot of writing done over time.

New Year's Resolution

Purchase a notebook and keep it by the chair you use to drink your coffee in the mornings. Spend fifteen minutes each day writing down thoughts or simply a memory of your childhood. Use the year-by-year outline for inspiration if you get stuck. If handwriting is not your style, some people find that dictating their thoughts and memories into a word processing program like Microsoft Word is easier. Also, some local community education programs offer inexpensive memoir writing classes that will provide guidance and motivation for writing.

Brain Training

As we age, it is vital to keep our minds in great shape, but like our muscles, this requires exercise. Fortunately, brain training can be a fun part of your daily routine! You can practice puzzles or even download apps that train the brain to keep it sharp.

New Year's Resolution

Download an app on your phone or tablet, like Peak or Elevate. Both of these apps are available for iOS and Android systems and are designed to be both fun and stimulating. Once downloaded, play the games one or two times a day for at least ten minutes to keep your brain trained.

Exercise

Whether you are in good shape now or not, exercise must be part of your routine in order to live a healthy life. Even short workouts are significant in helping to maintain a healthy weight, muscles, and general wellness.

New Year's Resolution

Buy a workout app, subscribe to an online workout program, join your local gym, or go for a walk every day. Do whatever you can to stay active within limits and remember to start small and slow. That way, you’ll be more likely to stick with your resolution.

Learn a New Hobby

Many of us put off learning new activities or pastimes because it seems like such an effort to get started. Or we may have started something in the past and dropped it. Take the opportunity of a New Year’s resolution to act, like taking a class either in-person or online, or joining an existing group with similar interests. In this way, you’ll meet new people who can support you in your goal to acquire a new skill or hobby.

New Year's Resolution

Find classes or groups that focus on your area of interest and commit to attending at least three meetings either in-person or online. If it is not the right fit after three times, ask yourself if this is the right activity and the right group. If so, keep at it. If not, go back to the drawing board to decide whether or not to go in a new direction or find another group to see how that works.

Say Goodbye to Bad Habits

Smoking, drinking, or even being negative in your thinking can be a habit. So can eating junk food, driving while distracted, or staying up too late at night. When these habits form, they become difficult to break. Replace your habits with new ones.

New Year's Resolution

For every negative thought you have, replace it with a positive thought. For example, instead of drinking coffee in the mornings or having a cigarette, use this time to read or take a walk. Write your resolution down and align it with the three habit-formation steps listed above to maximize the chances of success.

Turn Your Home into Your Safe Zone

Over the years, it's easy to accumulate clutter that can make your surroundings less safe. This clutter may not seem like an issue now, but it could lead to injury.

New Year's Resolution

Commit to decluttering your living space. Break it up into fifteen-minute daily increments and methodically organize things in that small chunk of time. Set a timer and stop when the time is up. Repeat daily. Some things might take more time, like setting up new storage shelves. Budget some time outside the 15-minute daily commitment for these larger tasks. Once they are done, however, daily organizing tasks will likely be more efficient and effective.

Prepare for the Next Stage in Your Life

As we age, there comes a time when it's clear that a significant change is needed. For instance, your two-story home is no longer needed because the kids have grown up and moved away. Also, it has become increasingly bothersome to maintain the family home. So, it's time for a change.

New Year's Resolution

Describe in writing your vision for the next stage in your life and then brainstorm options for achieving it. Take your time to think through all the angles. Read books, do internet research, and talk to friends who have made such a transition. Like many other resolution suggestions, break this task into smaller chunks to make it more manageable and give yourself more time to think.

Explore New Ways to Be a Part of the Community

Local events and activities are an affordable way to get out and do something with others. These can be social or community service activities.

New Year's Resolution

If you haven't participated in such activities before, choose one that interests you and learn about the time commitment and expertise required. You'll probably be surprised by how many great people you meet and how great it feels to be active in your community!

New Year’s resolutions are notoriously difficult to keep. But if you choose a commitment you are passionate about and start small, there is a higher probability that you’ll achieve your goal in the new year.