Trying to think of a new year’s resolution can be almost as stressful as trying to keep one. You want to set yourself up for success, so what happens if you bite off more than you can chew? Here are some ideas for easy new year’s resolutions that can fit into any schedule:
1. Sit quietly for 10 minutes every day.
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Often, people make a resolution to meditate in the new year, but meditation as a concept can be daunting for those who haven’t done it before. So reframing it as just sitting quietly for anywhere from five to 30 minutes is a more accessible way to get started. As you get comfortable with that, you can incorporate more techniques, like doing a check-in with your body or working on releasing negative thoughts.
2. Eat vegetarian (or vegan) one day per week.
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Eating less meat is one good way to help reduce your carbon footprint, so if that’s important to you but you’re not ready or able to go fully plant-based, try eating vegetarian or vegan just one or two days a week. Or, for another approach, make one meal per day vegetarian: Instead of having a sandwich with cold cuts for lunch, try a veggie sandwich or plant-based meat.
3. Have one “date night” per week/month, depending on your schedule.
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And when I say “date night,” that can be with your spouse/partner, your friends, or yourself! It’s really just about going out and doing things that bring you joy, like having dinner at a new restaurant, going on a hike, or seeing a movie in theaters. And if you do this with a partner or a friend, you have the added benefit of strengthening that relationship with a little quality time.
4. Lower your phone screen time by any percentage.
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If you have an iPhone, you can check your daily and weekly screen time under Settings –> Screen Time, and make it your resolution to have less than that number. While you’re in there, you can also set notifications to put down your phone for a bit, or to hold it a good distance from your face to help prevent eye strain.
5. Come up with a personal phrase or mantra.
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Sometimes, instead of trying to come up with a bunch of resolutions to tackle all the different things you want to change, you can try to just change your outlook or approach instead. Adopting a personal mantra can help a lot, and all you have to do is remember to think of it when you need it. As an example, if you often feel overwhelmed, maybe your mantra could be “One Thing At A Time.” Or if you suffer from imposter syndrome, you could remind yourself “I Am Worthy” or “I Am Proud Of Me.”
6. Do one small act of kindness every day.
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This can be super small, like holding a door open for someone, or it can be a little bigger if you have the time and energy for it. But just one thing can make a difference, not only for your mood, but obviously for the person you’re kind to as well.
7. Once a week while in the shower, check yourself for lumps on your breasts or testicles (whichever you happen to have).
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This one’s easy to do; the trick is remembering to do it! But if you make a habit of checking yourself regularly in the shower, you’ll be way ahead of the crowd in terms of detecting potential health issues — including breast or testicular cancer — early.
8. Pick one “superfood” and incorporate it into your daily life.
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I’m always wary of the term “superfood,” but nonetheless there are certain foods out there that have excellent benefits. If you make these available to yourself in your kitchen or at your desk, you will hopefully find yourself snacking on them more and reaping those benefits! Some options include prunes for bone and digestive health, almonds for fiber and vitamins, avocado for healthy fats, and blueberries for antioxidants.
9. Make your bed in the morning.
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Making your bed might seem pointless…after all, you’re just going to mess it up later tonight when you get in it, right? But making your bed is more about the psychological effect: you’ve accomplished a task first thing in the morning, which can improve your outlook and mood, and your room will look cleaner, which is also a mood booster.
10. Have one movie night per week, and give it your full focus.
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I want to make one thing clear: I love reality TV. But I often find that there are SO many reality TV shows that watching them can prevent me from settling in and watching a movie. Movies can expose you to new ideas and experiences, and you can fill in those gaps in your cultural knowledge. Plus, movies often require a bit more focus, so it gets you off your phone and zeroed in on just one thing, which helps your brain to rest.
11. If you’re looking to be more organized, start by making a rule that you always put things back where they came from.
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“Getting organized” is a lofty goal that can mean all kinds of overhauls for your life. So start easy by making a rule that you always put something back where you picked it up, even if it isn’t the perfect “home” for it.
12. Plant a small garden at home.
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One of the best ways to eat more fruits and vegetables is to have them available, and one of the best ways to make sure they’re available is to grow them yourself! If you don’t have a green thumb, you can always try a countertop hydroponic garden. And if you don’t want to grow anything edible, there’s also joy in just growing pretty plants!
13. If you want to prevent over-eating or under-eating, try thinking of it as a one to 10 scale, where one is starving and 10 is uncomfortably full. Aim to keep yourself between a four and a seven.
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This helps avoid the discomfort on either extreme of the scale and can ease the frequency of things like heartburn, irritability, and indigestion.
14. Read for just 30 minutes every day. It’s not a big time commitment in the daily sense, but, over the course of the year, you’ll likely end up reading at least 20 books!
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After all, 30 * 365 = 10,950 minutes, which is more than 180 hours of reading!
15. Or, listen to audiobooks.
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If you just don’t have the time to sit down with a book, you can always go the audiobook route and do your “reading” while you do chores or your daily commute. Hot tip: Use the Libby app to download both audiobooks and ebooks for free using your local library card.
16. Floss.
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That’s it, that’s the resolution. It’s one of the more important preventative health measures you have, and it doesn’t take much time.
17. Create a new playlist and add new songs you discover throughout the year.
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It’ll bring you joy in the short term, and in the long term, it’ll bring back memories of your year when you listen to it in the future. As a bonus, you can connect with friends and discover even more new music if you share a playlist with them through apps like Spotify.
18. If you’re able, spend more time standing and less time sitting. As little as five minutes standing per half-hour sitting can make a big difference in your long-term health.
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The risks of being too sedentary include diabetes, dementia and heart disease, so standing up and walking around — or even just stepping side to side in place at your desk — can help your health in the long run.
19. Keep a daily journal writing down one nice thing that happened.
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It’ll help you focus on gratitude and give you something pleasant to look back on. Journaling is another one of those common resolutions that can feel overwhelming, so this is a great way to approach it without feeling like you need to dive into all your ~feelings~ every day.
20. If you have an elderly relative or friend that you have a good relationship with, call, text, or write them at regular intervals.
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It’s nice for them, and it’ll be nice for you, too! Obviously, if you don’t have a good relationship with them, then you probably shouldn’t make it a resolution to expose yourself to that.
21. If you want to get out of the house more, try doing just one small thing every weekend.
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It could be as small as going to a bakery or coffee shop you haven’t tried before, or walking in a new neighborhood. Trying something new often feels like a little adventure, even if you end up not liking it. And who knows, you might find yourself a new passion!
22. Try one new recipe per week/month (depending on how much you cook).
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Might we recommend trying one of Tasty’s many recipes?
23. Forego one optional purchase every week and put the money into savings.
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Let’s say you’re looking at a new pair of shoes, but you know you don’t really need them. Instead of making the purchase, take the money you would’ve spent and put it into a savings account or invest it however you please. As much as I hate to sound like one of those “stop buying coffee” people, even one small purchase a week can add up! Plus, depending on the thing you’re choosing not to buy, you might also be helping the environment.
24. Ask more questions, make less assumptions.
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If you often find yourself worrying what other people are thinking about you, or jumping to the worst-case scenario, asking questions might be able to help. Politely asking what someone meant by something they said to you might reveal that you interpreted it in a much different way than they intended.
25. Deep clean one neglected thing each month, until you run out of stuff to clean.
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You know all those things around the house that never get cleaned, like your vent hood, or under the bed, or the inside of the refrigerator? Making a resolution to clean them all at once can be overwhelming, so committing to doing just one per month is a little easier to tackle. Over the year, you might find them all done!
26. Drink at least one glass of water per day.
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Drinking more water is a common resolution, and for good reason. It’s good to stay hydrated! But sometimes, committing to a giant jug of water every day can be overwhelming and cause you do give up the resolution early. So instead, try just one glass per day. That’s enough to make a difference, and if you drink more, then great!
27. And finally: If a year-long resolution is too daunting, try 12 month-long resolutions, one at a time!
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