When New Year's Resolutions Don't Work, Here's What to Do Instead.

Well, it’s that time again. 

You know, the time when you’re ordering your new planner for the year, listing out all possible New Year’s ambitions, and thinking, “wow, another year gone.”

If you’re anything like me, you loooove the feeling of a fresh beginning, and want to maximize the opportunity to get a jump start on all your self-development, business, or lifestyle goals for the next 12 months.

Unfortunately, if you’re setting New Year’s “resolutions,” there is a high probability that you’ll be looking at that list in a year’s time without a single task or goal checked off.

Take it from U.S. News & World Report: “By the second week of February, some 80 percent of those resolution-ers are back home with a new kind of remorse staring back at them in the mirror – the remorse of disappointment. Why is it that with such good intentions, getting fit, losing weight and improving our lives seems so elusive?”`

After several consecutive years of my own failed resolutions, I found myself asking, “Am I just bound for mediocrity in the face the New Year?!”  In the past few years, I have worked to develop a system of New Year’s goal setting that actually gets results.

So, without further ado, here’s what to do (INSTEAD of setting traditional “resolutions!”) to maximize all those clean slate-y vibes and actually make the most of 2021. 

1. Set an intention, not a resolution

Set an intention for the year. Brainstorm a list of guiding words that encapsulate who you would like to become or the emotions you would like to embody. While some may prefer to choose a phrase or quote to guide them in the New Year, many individuals-- myself included!-- have noticed the power of choosing a single guiding word that pertains to life as a whole. 

Some words you may consider are: 

nourish

expand

release 

alignment

balance

love

Write down 15-20 words that resonate with you, and then see if you can notice a pattern among them. Choose a word that will bring you closer to the version of yourself you wish to become in the coming year. Feel free to choose a few additional “supporting words” if you’re like me and have trouble narrowing down. 

2. Create a vision board

Create a visual representation of what will motivate you over the next 12 months.

Consider multiple areas of your life: your health and wellbeing, your relationships, your career, your financial stability, and your passions and interests. Use search engines such as Google and Pinterest to find a selection of photos that encapsulate your desires in each area of life. At this point, save anything that resonates!

After your initial search, I recommend culling your selection to a total of 10-15 photos that truly represent the items, emotions, and growth that you desire. Now, either arrange the photos digitally, or go old-school and print and paste them to a poster board! 

Place the vision board somewhere you can see it easily: your closet, your computer desktop, the drawer in your bedside table, or perhaps next to the mirror in your bathroom. 

3. Set up systems for success

There are SO many possible systems for helping you reach your goals, so this is the point at which carefully cultivated self-awareness comes into play.

Regardless of your personality and tendencies, some type of system to hold you accountable for your goals can make the difference between a feeling of triumph or a feeling of disappointment in the next year.

 I can’t tell you what system will work best for you, since your personality type, existing habits, and preferences will determine your best fit. 

Here are some systems you may wish to consider to remind yourself of your goals:

• A Habit Tracker: A worksheet or journal in which you mark off the days you did or did not complete a task or activity.

• Weekly Reviews: Sit down once a week at the same time (I recommend Sunday evenings if it works for your schedule), and reflect on the week past. What went well? What didn’t go well? Why didn’t it go well? What would you like to accomplish in the next week? Take a few minutes to journal or bullet point answers to these questions.

• An Accountability Buddy: Someone in your life with whom you partner in order to hold yourselves and each other accountable for your goals. Share your goals with one another, and then meet weekly or monthly (or however often serves you) to discuss your progress!

4. Do a New Year clean out

Finally, start the New Year off by freshening up your space! Nothing feels better and more motivating than a thorough clean out and decluttering. Ideally, you would complete this clean out before the New Year. But if January 1st has already passed, not to worry! This can really be done at any time. 

Brainstorm a few cluttered places in your home that have been weighing on you. Depending on your living situation, try to choose 2 or 3 to clean out in an afternoon. 

Some relatively small categories you may consider decluttering include:

The medicine cabinet

The spice drawer

The “junk drawer”

The closet

The sock + underwear drawer

The toy bin

The desk

You don’t have to declutter and clean everything, but just tackling a few particularly jumbled spaces can leave you feeling motivated and excited for a fresh beginning. 

Well, there you have it! Four ideas to implement this New Year without setting traditional, doomed-to-fail “resolutions.” 

Enjoy focusing on who you want to be and what systems can help get you there, and set yourself up for success by reveling in that fresh, clean slate, New Year’s feeling!