I used to hate New Year’s resolutions. It feels like everyone says they’ll do the exact same thing they wanted to do the year before. Everyone wants to work out more (don’t get me wrong, I do too), or they want to read a book a week. But a lot of these resolutions aren’t ones people are actually excited about, or they don’t implement properly into their lives to form a steady habit vs. a brief obsession. A good test of whether you’ll want to implement it is if you can start without the prompting of the new year. Why wait for the sun to finish going around the earth?
I love resolutions in general. When I truly want to form a habit, I am able to continue it for a long time. Most of my favorites I thought about doing for New Year’s, then decided to do it early. I wanted to give ideas of fun resolutions you too can implement in the new year (or whenever!), most of which I have continued doing for years.
- Starting a Journal
I have been keeping a daily journal for the last six years, and I have never missed a day. A common misconception of journaling is that it takes too much time, but in reality, I only spend about one to two minutes a day on it. Journaling can take a lot of forms, like daily journaling, stereotypical diary entries, or bullet journaling.
My daily journal started when I was in middle school because I decided I wanted to be happier. I would write down one good thing of the day, then one thing I would look forward to. It made me so much more grateful for what I had, and it also improved my mental state. After a few years, I realized I no longer needed this consistent prompting to have a grateful mindset. My daily journal evolved into a reminder of what I did each day. I now have a five-year journal, where I can look back upon each day when I write things down. 2025 is my last year with it until I have to get a new one. Rereading about what I did a year ago is so fascinating and is genuinely such a fun way to relive old memories I would have otherwise forgotten!
- Consuming Media Intentionally
This can have a lot of meanings, but I feel as if each of us want to consume more of a certain media. I am primarily a reader (I’ve read 100+ books a year since 2020), but I want to spend more time watching movies since I only watch around a dozen a year, which is criminally low. Whether you want to read more, watch movies, observe art, or go to plays, consuming thoughtfully and intentionally to expand your knowledge and perception of others is always amazing! Setting a number goal, or a specific time each week to do this is life-changing!
- Expanding Music Taste
Similar to my last idea, expanding music taste is such a fun way to challenge yourself in the new year. I am a music fiend. I take pride in listening to literally anything. I know people say this all the time, but that’s an excellent thing to take pride in if you do it! I love to find new artists and ways to listen to music, and I have tips for expanding your taste. Recently, I also saw this TikTok about deleting all your music on Spotify, and I also think that is a way to challenge yourself to find new music by clearing up your algorithm!
One way I love to explore my music taste is by thrifting physical music. I love to find cassettes, records, and CDs, take a chance on them, and discover a new genre or musician I love. Collecting physical music is one of my favorite things to do, and I think if you have the means and chance to start a collection, it is a great experience and is a way to intentionally consume.
Another way of discovering new artists is through playlists, like Discover Weekly, on Spotify. Some other resources I like are Forgotify—a website that shuffles barely played songs from Spotify and Needle, a new social media app that connects people through music. Another great way is to create shared playlists with friends. My current favorite way of discovering is looking at online or in-person vinyl stores to see what music they are featuring or making new editions of. Recently, I have found several new favorite no-skip albums through that. I also recently bought a vinyl mystery box based on some music I liked, and that was also an excellent way to find new albums!
- Learning a New Language or Instrument
Pressuring yourself to practice something and learn a new skill like a language or an instrument is an excellent, fun, and future-forward way to invest your time. Though I am terrible at learning languages, I love playing instruments. There are so many times I wish I would have started/restarted playing at a younger age, but there is never a better time to begin than now.
On college campuses, there are so many ways to learn and get involved with these things. When I came to college, I had no intention of taking any music classes beyond some to fulfill the U-CORE requirements, but now I’m minoring in music! I’ve met so many amazing friends, challenged myself in so many ways, and have been a part of so many events I never would have come across on my own. For example, I started to learn percussion as a side instrument last year, and it is now one of my favorite things. Not only has it taught me so much about working with others in performances, but it has also brought many fun opportunities my way.
- Starting a Hobby You’ll be Intentionally Bad At
Doing something you’re intentionally bad at is freeing. You go in with no expectations, and you do it not to improve but to have fun. I recently tried this with oil painting. I cannot paint, much less oil paint. Yet, it was so much fun to try! There are many things you can do like this, and you can find plenty of supplies for free on college campuses. Take a class on something you aren’t familiar with. There are amazing advantages to welcoming a challenge to your life—especially one that teaches you how to handle not being in-the-know. Doing it in a fun context, such as starting a hobby, prepares you for future contexts where it may not be so fun.
- Watching More Video Essays
I love video essays on YouTube. I started watching them mostly just based on nostalgia. I wanted to hear everything about what went into my favorite childhood shows, why certain stores shut down, my favorite childhood games, etc. This has gradually evolved to me watching essays on philosophy, literature, fashion’s contributions to society, etc. There are video essays out there for any interest and anyone. It’s a fun way to learn in a chill context, even if you are just taking a break from school, playing it in the background while doing chores, or something else.
- Setting Goals with Existing Hobbies
This may seem like an obvious one since everyone seems to want to improve their existing hobbies but setting specific goals can make such a difference! If you go into the new year saying you want to get better at art, that is great, but having a goal to draw a small picture a day is even better! A reasonable, yet purposeful objective can make all the difference for improvement. For example, I want to go into the new year with a goal to write a short story each month to improve my writing skills. I previously avoided writing short stories until this last fall, so pushing myself in this way will likely aid my skill set more than the general idea of wanting to write more.
To conclude, I also wanted to leave with a note of how important writing these resolutions down is. For years, I would write down my yearly goals. Every year, I write down more that I can accomplish, then I don’t look at it until the next year. It’s fun to see what I accomplished, and how it is similar and different. Usually, it leaves me with a feeling of pride in how much I have evolved as a person.
Writing down goals is a lot like a to-do list, in the sense that it prompts you to action. Reminding yourself of what you’re working towards and dividing it into accessible steps of bettering yourself into the person you want to be is powerful and has great results.