New Year’s resolutions are a January fad.
Statistics say you will fail your NYRs.
Want proof? The best proof is your own life record. Look back at January 2022, January 2021, January 2020, etc. How successful were you?
Here’s Wikipedia:
- “In a 2014 report, 35% of participants who failed their New Year’s Resolutions admitted they had unrealistic goals, 33% of participants did not keep track of their progress, and 23% forgot about them; about one in 10 respondents claimed they made too many resolutions.”
- “A 2007 study by Richard Wiseman from the University of Bristol involving 3,000 people showed that 88% of those who set New Year resolutions fail, despite the fact that 52% of the study’s participants were confident of success at the beginning.”
I don’t set New Year’s Resolutions. Because: 1) I have a sneaking suspicion a lot of people are going gung ho with the whole New Year New Me thing and I don’t like following the masses, 2) I don’t like doing things without a solid reason, and 3) I have a way that works for me.
And that way that works for me goes like this:
- I evaluate how I’m doing — every aspect of what I could improve, I write down or make a mental note of.
- I choose one thing to work on for the next XYZ days/weeks/months.
Sometimes it’s random. I’ll have a thought in the car or when I’m out and about. Thoughts like, “I notice I’m spending too much time on X,” or, “I notice I’m not spending enough time on Y,” or, “I notice [Z]. I should change.”
That last part is important. We need to want to change, because it is want that leads to planning, and planning drives action.
This two-step method I’m describing is grounded not in changing just to change because of the start of a new year, but in improving your current life processes.
You can do this in January. You can do this in June. You can do this whenever the effing heck you like.
But please, however you choose to proceed — whether it is with New Year’s resolutions, my method, or your own combobulation — don’t wait. Don’t wait for tomorrow.
Taking control of your life is not about waiting. It’s about doing. Refining how you execute is how you get better.
Ask yourself:
- Am I happy? Could I be happier? How would I do that?
- Am I satisfied where I am? Could I be more? How would I do that?
“You ruin your life by tolerating it.”
— Bianca Sparacino
Read More: The 100 Percent Rule That Makes Sticking to Life Changes 100% Easier (a post I wrote in June 2021 about behavior change; thought it would be worth mentioning as 2023 begins)
Recommended Read: How To Ruin Your Life (Without Even Noticing That You Are) (an amazing post by Bianca Sparacino, someone who has inspired the way I live)