Exercise. Eat right. Make more money. Most New Year’s resolutions fail, in part, because they’re bland and/or devoid of actionable steps. Make 2018 the year you choose something a bit easier to stick to and a bit more enjoyable. Need help coming up with good New Year’s resolution ideas? Let us help with that.
Get in Shape by Starting a New Activity
Certain people can push weights and run on a treadmill till the cows come home. Most can’t. If you want to get in shape, consider taking up a physical activity you can become passionate about. Think rock climbing could be cool? Go for it. Watched enough UFC to be intrigued by Brazilian jiu-jitsu? Find a school. Played a little high school ball and kinda miss it? Take your talents to the YMCA league. Getting fit is a lot easier when you actually look forward to doing the thing that gets you in shape.
Scroll Through Facebook Once a Day
There was an Ask Reddit thread recently titled, “People who’ve deleted Facebook, what was the final straw?” Feel free to read through it to give you some inspiration for this one. Now, we’re not going to advocate deleting Facebook, as we know all too well it can serve a purpose. Instead, we’re going to recommend just checking it once a day. Carve out a few minutes to check in on friends, visit pages you like, post a status update if you feel like it and then be done with Facebook for 24 hours. Maybe it will ease you into quitting. Maybe not. What it will do, however, is allow you to leave some of the petty stress behind and let you enjoy your own life a whole hell of a lot more.
Get Involved with a Charity or Local Organization
Remember early November 2016, that time when you swore up and down you’d help change the world, even if it was just a little bit? Yeah, well complacency has a way of setting in, doesn’t it? Whether you were happy about the election or not, it’s time to follow through on your promise to help a cause whose mission was seemingly lost among the political bickering. What cause? That’s up to you. Spend some time and determine what you’re really passionate about. You’ll be shocked to see how many worthy causes are out there, many of which can use all the help they can get.
Sign Up For Skillshare
Learning something new is a common New Year’s resolution. Years ago, this was a bit of a hassle. You had to track someone down who was proficient in said skill, study with them, read books, and maybe hit a seminar or two at a local school. Guess what? It’s 2018. The world is at your fingertips. All you need to do is sign up for Skillshare—or one of the many similar sites—to start learning a skill from the comfort of your computer chair or train seat. Photography? Check. Cooking? Yup. How to arrange flowers? Hell yeah how to arrange flowers.
Make Your Home Smarter
We get it. The thought of turning your home into a pad Tony Stark would be proud of is intimidating. How many wires do you have to run? How many hours will it take? Well, if you haven’t been paying attention, making your home smarter has become incredibly easy—assuming your willing to spend the money. Make this the year you save a few pennies and go for it. If you got an Amazon Echo or a Google Home for the holidays, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Now grab some smart light bulbs, security cameras, and even a coffee maker you can control with your phone or the sound of your voice. Once it’s all in place, you’ll wonder how you lived without it all.
Appreciate Your Alcoholic Beverages
We know a lot of people want to cut back on their drinking when the new year hits, but eliminating booze entirely is difficult. If such a pursuit seems unlikely, try this. Instead of pounding Miller High Life after Miller High Life or guzzling bottom-shelf swill when you go out, buy yourself something a bit nicer and learn to appreciate it for its taste, not its ability to get you wasted. Like beer? Cool. Pick up some single hop IPAs and learn the difference various hops can play in a beer’s taste and aroma. More of a whiskey guy? Explore a region with samplers from Masters of Malt. The idea here is to slow down with that adult beverage, respect the work that went into making it, and learn a thing or two in the process.
GTFO
Have you ever stopped to think about just how much of your average day is spent looking at a screen? Wake up and scroll through your phone. Get to work and plug away at a computer. Arrive home and fire up Netflix. Make 2018 the year you detach a bit. There are trails to hike, campsites to visit, and lakes to swim, and all are infinitely more enjoyable than the latest time-wasting app.
Start Dressing for the Job You Want
Finding a new job is one of the more common New Year’s resolutions. A noble quest should you feel unsatisfied in your current situation. But before you start flooding the marketplace with your resume, consider a baby step: Start dressing for the job you want. As the workplace becomes more and more casual, be the guy who resists that change. You don’t have to go full 3-piece, but maybe ditch the t-shirt and jeans, and groom a bit more often. Not only will it help you get noticed, but it might just give you the confidence to start pursuing a corner office.
