We always have great plans to rejuvenate ourselves and turn into better people every time a new year rolls around. But every resolution we write down for ourselves is a forgotten lapse in judgement by the third week of January. Here are 17 doable resolutions to help us ring in 2017.
1. Read 6 books
Who doesn’t love reading? Apparently a lot of people, but pleasure reading is something that can never go out of style. It doesn’t matter what the books are. If romantic fiction is your guilty pleasure, embrace it. Six books a year gives you two full months to leisurely thumb through the pages. If you’re not into checking out library books but don’t want to invest in brand new best seller, check out a thrift shop; there’s always a book section and they cost roughly a dollar if they’re not on sale.
2. Make coffee at home instead of stopping along the way
I read a New Year’s resolution list that suggested to cut down on your coffee intake. STOP IT. Drink as much coffee as possible. But maybe make it at home a few times a week instead of spending $3-plus on a cup every day. Additionally, if you make it at home you can have more than one cup.
3. Call your parents once a week
Some people already do this, or even talk to their parents daily. But as we’re all getting older and living our own lives now, sometimes our parents feel as if they’re not a part of that life we’re living anymore. Don’t let them find out about your major accomplishments on Facebook. Calling them won’t cause too much mental turmoil.
4. Make a running weekly to-do list
Keep track of the things you’d like to accomplish throughout the week, and check them off as you go. Physically checking things off or crossing them off your to-do list will make you feel much more accomplished.
5. Exercise twice a week
Not to change the way you look or to counteract the extra piece of pie we ate last night, but to stay healthy. Staying active is important for overall health, not just for being in tip top shape. So if your workout comes from a Pinterest account and takes 15 minutes, great, just do something that can help you keep your heart healthy.
6. Journal for seven minutes three times a week
Writing is not for everyone, and it shouldn’t be. But sometimes venting about your life through a pen gives you a little more piece of mind rather than holding all of it in. And if you write down the good and the bad, then at the end of the year you’ll have a healthy mix of many of your experiences.
7. Keep a calendar
You wouldn’t forget about your plans all the time if you wrote them down. Even if it’s a pocket calendar, it’s better than relying on your own memory, because honestly, half of us don’t remember what we ate for breakfast yesterday.
8. Save $10 from every paycheck
Building up a little safety net of money is never a bad idea, and $10 is not too much to ask for. Instead of putting it toward another shirt that has the earth tone scheme as the rest of your closet, put the money away in case of an emergency, like your car breaking down.
9. Set short and long term goals for yourself in different areas of your life
If eating more cake is a goal in your life, eat more cake. Find areas that you might want to push yourself in. If you want to read seven books instead of six, fine, set that goal. If you want to do the most and learn a foreign language, then join a class. Set goals for yourself, it’s something to work toward.
10. Proofread social media posts one more time before posting
Ask yourself: Would I be OK with my boss, or potential future bosses, seeing this post? Truth is, if you don’t already work for a company the likelihood of your next employer checking out your social media accounts is approximately 100 percent.
11. Get some thank you cards, and use them
How many times a year does someone do something simple for you? Spending a little extra time teaching you how to maneuver your way through a computer program, or buying you a bag of chocolate just because it was on sale. Let them know how much their gestures mean to you, something a little more than a “thank you” text.
12. Invest in more hand sanitizer
Germs are everywhere! Washing your hands is clearly the best option but keeping some hand sanitizer in your purse or at your desk is never a bad idea.
13. Leave yourself a post-it note or two
We all need some encouragement, a reminder, even a note telling us to feed our fish. Leave yourself a sticky note and put it somewhere you pass frequently to ensure that you’ll see it often.
14. Expand your musical horizon
Find a friend that’s way more into music than you are and ask them for two to three songs they love every so often. Listen to said songs and if they aren’t your taste then don’t listen to them again. But if they do catch your ear then maybe you’ve just found a new favorite band.
15. Budget more
Making the goal of writing out a long budget every month is not going to come naturally to anyone who hasn’t been forced to do it since birth. Thus, try the envelope system. Make categories of things we spend money on each month: bills, groceries, rent, going out, etc. Place the appropriate amount of money in each envelope and use it as needed. But remember … once the money runs out of the envelope, it won’t be replenished by the money tree. So maybe skip dessert after dinner, or don’t have dinner and go straight for the dessert.
16. Pay attention to good huggers and be more like them
We all know these people; the people you love to hug because they embrace you as if both of your lives depended on that initial reaction to greeting you. Pay attention to these people and mimic their embracing behaviors because we all need someone like this in our lives.
17. Compliment more often
Although this seems simple, it forces us to step out of our comfort zone a little bit. Telling a stranger you like their top or asking them where they get their hair done is something that doesn’t come naturally. But a simple task that may force us to tip toe over the edge of mental security could give someone else the confidence boost they desperately needed.
