Why I’m Glad That My Resolution for 2024 Is to Have No Resolutions
Overwhelming yourself isn’t the best way to start the year
The number of times I have heard or read people share their ‘new year, new you’ goals is frustrating. It is setting yourself up for failure 101.
It is frustrating because nothing changes in the new year.
It is only a reshuffling of some digits. That’s it. Nothing more!
This year I consciously made the (ironic) effort to set the resolution of not setting any resolutions in the new year. And, I am sticking to it, for sure!
I don’t want to put that kind of pressure on a year that has just begun.
It doesn’t mean that I don’t plan to grow or have goals for myself in 2024.
It just means that I didn’t need to wait till January arrived to do so.
It also means that I don’t need to skip any goal-setting if I don’t do it by 1/1.
And, most importantly, it doesn’t set up a ticking clock that stresses me out.
Or, better said, overwhelm the life out of me.
Resolutions are a scam
New Year's resolutions are a scam. They are promises that are broken.
One of the biggest reasons these resolutions don’t work is because of the undue pressure they put on you for the first ~45 days of the year.
The very mindset of ‘new year, new you’ is the desire to achieve a massive overhaul of your fitness, finances, career, personal life, and whatnot.
Unfortunately, most people get overwhelmed at the start of the year and set unrealistic goals that don’t deliver results soon enough. Or at all.
If you set stringent resolutions in January, you expect February to be full of progress. You expect results to start showing. You chase the output.
If these results don’t appear, you cancel the goals altogether. There is no backup plan to start again, to revise the goals, or to be more accountable.
Instead, I’ve found a better way to approach these goals is to focus on micro-habits or incremental changes and monthly audits, not yearly.
Introduce micro-habits
Whether it is a fitness routine, a writing habit, or eating home-cooked food 5 times a week, I am focusing on the everyday sustainable steps I control.
Blocking time on my calendar to write. Ordering pre-cut vegetables and creating a meal plan. Investing in gym wear and equipment as self-care.
With this approach of creating daily rituals, I can achieve the following:
- Set realistic expectations for my goals. Instead of blanket goals like I want to write a book this year, I will write for 30 minutes every day.
- Specify what success looks like for me. Does ordering in or eating out only twice a week make me feel more energized, or is it too restrictive?
- Less is more approach. I am trying not to boil the ocean and get overwhelmed with all the goals at once. Instead, I’ll pick any 3.
- Conduct monthly audits. The way we have quarterly appraisals or reviews, I will audit my goals every month so I can plan better.
- Show, don’t tell! This is contrary to popular belief, but I don’t want to build in public or announce goals this year. I’ll let my work speak.
- Don’t go all in. The perfectionist mindset of doing it all and doing it right can lead to frustration and abandonment of goals. I’ll pace it out!
- Stay adaptable and keep room for mess-ups. Life is messy, chaotic, and unpredictable. It’s okay if things go astray, I’ll jump right back on track.
- Don’t forget to celebrate every win. If it was a tough week, and I still got some writing done, I’ll extend myself some grace and move on.
“Plans are nothing, but planning is everything.”
— Dwight D. Eisenhower
Honestly, I don’t care about the end-of-year results in 2024. I want to be at ease when I am approaching these audacious goals I am setting for myself.
Whatever the goals are, don’t overwhelm yourself before you’ve begun!