Are you planning on setting New Year’s resolutions for yourself? Why not start working towards them now?
New Year’s Resolutions to Start Working Towards Now
It’s officially December, the month of Christmas! And of course, that means that the New Year is just around the corner. And of course, with the New Year comes New Year’s resolutions. You know, those goals that we set for ourselves but (usually) don’t end up completing.
So, what are YOU going to do for New Year’s 2020? You’re going to start working on those resolutions now!
This way, you’ll be way ahead of your goals and be more inclined to persevere with them!
Some of the most popular New Year’s resolutions include:
- Exercise more
- Eat healthier
- Lose weight
- Manage money better
- Take up a new skill or hobby
You don’t need the New Year to tell you to start working on your goals. All you need is some faith to start now. All of these resolutions are those that you can start now.
It’s so easy to tell yourself that you’re going to work on these resolutions during the year, but ACTUALLY following through? That’s a whole other story.
So much pressure is put on the idea of ‘new year, new me’, when in reality, becoming a better version of yourself is a lengthy process. It can take months or years to reach your goal, but the most important thing is your ability to persevere and continue maintaining that goal once you’ve achieved it.
It can also be really tempting to procrastinate on completing your goals by telling yourself that you’ll “do it next year”, or that “it’s too late to start now” as soon as the first few months of the year have passed.
So, perhaps it’s time that you started now, even if it’s not a special occasion or a special date. Carpe diem.
By starting now:
- You can feel a sense of accomplishment when the New Year rolls around and you’ve already started on your resolutions
- You’ll develop a “do it now” attitude
- You can develop better habits earlier
- You’ll be more productive
- You’ll be more inclined to stop procrastination before it starts in the future
The most important benefit of all, is that you’ll be proud of yourself for starting. Always remember that it doesn’t matter if you don’t achieve your goal, all that matters is that you tried your best. Start now, try your hardest and be proud of yourself regardless of the outcome.
Related:
- 18 Tips to Achieve Higher Levels of Productivity
- How to Work With Procrastination
- Healthy Habits Before Bed to Wake Up a Better You
What resolutions can you start working towards now?
Exercise more
This is probably one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions set by people around the world and a goal that we all struggle with, more often than we want to. It can be especially difficult to take that first step, but sometimes, that first step is the motivation that you need to continue.
There are countless ways that you can get the exercise you need per week. This can be:
- going to the gym
- joining a sports club
- playing a team sport
- working out from home
- going for a run or jog in your spare time
Each method caters to a different type of person and there’s always a way for everyone to get some exercise.
If you’re motivated by spending your money wisely, perhaps paying a gym membership will be the incentive you need to actually go and use the facilities.
If you prefer working out at home, following video workouts or apps is a great way to give you an idea of potential exercises you can do.
Using apps
If you find it hard to understand which exercises to do that target specific muscle areas, using an app could be extremely helpful. Certain apps also allow you to set reminders for a specific time so that you get a push notification when it’s time to workout.
Within these apps, there are routines that can be used with gym equipment, and those that are catered to home workouts.
Eat healthier
It can sound terribly daunting if you enjoy your share of fried or sweet foods, but all you need to do is cut back on certain foods one at a time.
Eating healthier has many benefits for your health. It can:
- help clear your skin
- help you lose weight
- improve your memory
- improve your mood
- reduce the risk of getting sick
It can be quite hard to control what you eat, especially if you’ve gotten into the habit of snacking on junk food a lot during the day. From personal experience, I’ve found that it’s easier to focus on cutting down certain foods one at a time by gradually reducing the frequency of eating that particular item.
For example, if you eat out at fast-food restaurants many times during the week, maybe try limiting it to less than 3 times a week. Same goes with drinks that contain a lot of sugar, e.g. bubble tea, try to limit yourself to once every week, once every two weeks, then once every month.
You might find yourself seriously craving particular items of food, but I promise that if you can persevere, you’ll stop having those cravings after a while.
I used to be a huge junk food lover. I would eat ice cream and chocolate every day without fail, even through winter and my idea of a snack was always biscuits and cookies over fruit. At that time, I was sprouting a new pimple every day and I knew that I needed to do something about it. Once I started to moderate the amount of junk food I consumed, I noticed that my face started to clear.
Lose weight
Losing weight is a combination of exercising more and eating healthier.
Eat in moderation
I’m a firm believer that food should always be enjoyed and that you should be able to eat whatever you want to eat. But, I also believe in a healthy lifestyle, so everything I eat is in moderation.
I don’t like to cut out any food. I simply make sure that I never eat too much of any one thing. A good rule of thumb is to follow the 80-20 rule. Eat healthily 80% of the time, and you can pig out for the remaining 20%. This way, you can satisfy your cravings while making sure that you’re getting all the nutrients your body needs.
For example, I only have fast food about once every two months now, whereas before, I used to eat it once per week. I don’t buy sweet drinks anymore as I’ve found that juice satisfies my sweet tooth and I’ve substituted ice cream with yoghurt.
If I have a craving for a specific type of food, I’ll first determine whether or not I’m hungry. Usually, once I’ve had my meal, my craving tends to go away. If not, I’ll allow myself to have a bit, e.g. a piece of chocolate, and make sure that I don’t have any more for the rest of the day.
NEVER shop when hungry
One of the best ways to prevent yourself from buying unhealthy food is to never shop when you’re hungry. Everything sounds delicious when you’re hungry and you’ll most likely end up purchasing items that you would not normally buy.
From personal experience, I know to always eat a snack before I go grocery shopping. As someone who generally sticks to a healthy diet most of the time, any junk food that I do end up buying is always a result of me shopping when hungry.
I personally do not enjoy limiting the amount of food I eat, simply because I believe that food should be enjoyed. I much prefer substituting a healthier option over an unhealthy one. And if I do feel as if I’ve overeaten on a particular day, I simply adjust my workout routine and try to work off some of the extra food.
Manage money better
Another of the most popular New Year’s resolutions is to reach financial freedom by learning how to manage money better.
Being able to manage your money well is probably the key to retiring early with a healthy amount in your retirement fund. Aside from trying to earn more money, developing healthy spending habits as well as learning how to save money is crucial to being able to manage your money better.
Here are some articles to get you started:
- How to Work Towards Financial Freedom by Side Hustling
- How to Earn up to $50+/hr as a Private Tutor
- 30 Little Ways You Can Save Money Now
- How to Cut Down on Your Expenses from Home
- Best Part-Time Jobs for University Students
- How to Be a Frugal Student – Start Saving Now
- How to Save Money Planning Your Travels
Take up a new skill or hobby
I am someone who believes that we should never stop learning, simply because there is always something to learn.
Continuously learning is a great way to keep your mind active and engaged. Only then can you continue to move forward in life rather than remain stagnant in one place.
There is so much of life out there to learn and enjoy. You could take up a new hobby such as playing a new sport or starting a blog. You could also learn a new skill such as playing an instrument or learning a language. These are all things that can benefit you greatly in life and open your mind to more new experiences.
Some ideas to get you started:
- Do volunteer work
- Read or write more
- Play an instrument
- Learn a new craft
- Join a sports club
- Learn a language
- Start a blog
So, these are some of the New Year’s resolutions that you can start working towards now to get ahead of your goals!
Do you have your own resolutions that you would like to start now? Leave them down below!
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