Why wait for New Years to make resolutions?
Why wait for New Years to make resolutions?
I love the New Year. It has a sort of psychological effect that I believe about having a fresh start.
But there is no reason to wait for New Years to make resolutions. In fact, some resolutions might have better success if made away from the New Year’s period.
What are New Years resolutions?
A New Years Resolution is a commitment to making a change over the coming year. Often they are changes that are either projects e.g. lose weight or habits - ongoing changes like stopping smoking.
Examples include:
lose weight
stop smoking
be a nicer person
read a book a month
save money
reduce alcohol, sugar, chocolate or some other thing
take up a hobby
Make more time for loved ones
drink more water, green tea or whatever
do weekly planning
Get 7 to 8 hours sleep.
Problems with setting resolutions at New Years
The problem with making New Years resolutions is that is normally when we set our goals and plans for the year.
Various articles online suggest the failure rate of New Years resolutions is about 80% by February.
New Years resolutions tend to be about changing habits, so setting them at the time we are setting goals and plans might not set us up to succeed. Why? Because we can normally only focus on a couple of things at once.
You might find you are more successful setting New Years type resolutions in mid-way through the year or in the last quarter.
Could we be more successful with New Years type resolutions at other times of the year?
New Years can be exciting and it can be social. Is it really the best time to cut down on alcohol or take up a diet?
If you think about your year, are there periods of time when creating a new habit may be good or not good. For example, no use planning to lose weight during your foodie vacation to Italy.
Is there a good time to pursue your new habit?
Is it better to increase your exercise in the spring or summertime? It is much more motivating to go for a walk when sunny.
Do you go on a diet once you have settled in your new job?
Is it better to improve your sleep at the start of winter?
Is your new reading habit best to start with a modest amount of time in a less busy season than New Year.
Are New Years resolutions at other times of the year simply goals and new habits?
It could be said that we make New Year type resolutions throughout the year - we just do not call it that.
Maybe we would have more success at changing our habits or taking on new projects if we thought about our year and what is the best time to do new things.
My ESTY store has a one-page Yearly Overview that could be helpful to work out when in the year any goals or habits should occur instead of making them a New Years resolution.
Click here to view.
Is it time to ditch New Years resolutions
While the stats on successful New Years resolutions are not great - some people are successful. New Year can have a psychological boost of a fresh start.
Whenever you choose to set resolutions, think about the best time of the year to start.
