As this crazy year comes to an end, we’re rethinking the typical tradition of creating New Year’s Resolutions–goals that everyone seems to forget about as soon as the fifth of January rolls around. Instead, here are some low-pressure ideas and tips for New Year’s Resolutions that we may actually be able to keep in 2022:
- Don’t Overwhelm Yourself!
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I think a lot of people relate New Year’s Resolutions to exercising, dieting, or new healthy habits, but we should all put less pressure on ourselves to achieve goals that may be overwhelming! Personally, for 2022, I am encouraging myself to be as friendly as possible to classmates in my Spring semester and to buy fewer books.
- Maria Sell ‘23
- Make It Broad!
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I am someone who loves to do many things, so it’s hard for me to create a realistic number of New Year’s resolutions. Instead of setting many large long-term goals, I like to opt for creating a few broad resolutions, and then creating small goals within those resolutions for each week or each month. For example, if my resolution was “to be more present in the moment,” a weekly goal I could make would be: “reduce my screen time average to one hour per day,” or “have a conversation with at least four new people.” This method allows me to pursue goals within my many different interest areas, as well as make it feel that I’m making actionable progress towards my resolutions.
- Kendall Foley ‘24
- Don’t Forget!
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I am definitely guilty of thinking about New Year’s Resolutions and then forgetting all about them a few days later. Instead of setting tangible goals that I will feel bad about when I inevitably don’t do them, I like to focus more on a feeling. Do you want to focus on productivity in the new year? Being present? Connecting with your feelings? Whatever it is, I like to make a list of things I associate with that concept and write them down. The key to this is taking this list and putting it somewhere you are going to see it. Whether it’s in a notebook you use everyday, tucked into your mirror, or taped to a water bottle, just don’t forget about it!
- Caitlin Boyd ‘24