They say to rid your life of things that no longer serve you. Well, we're leaving New Year’s resolutions in the past—where they belong. Let's face it, the whole “New Year, New You” mentality is just another form of cultural peer pressure for perfectionism.
The Goods Inside
- Screw “New Year, New You”
- Normalize Doing Less
- The Anti-Resolution Reset
Maybe it's just the U.S. that’s obsessed with the annual redo since 37% of Americans plan on achieving something or setting a goal to kick off the year. In Sweden, they’re arguably more skeptical of the tradition with only 12-14% of participants wanting to take part.2 Especially since the average New Year’s resolution only lasts 3.74 months, which can leave you feeling like a complete failure come April.1
64% of women surveyed feel pressured to set a New Year’s resolution.1
So, here we are. Face to face with a cultural phenomenon that just doesn't jive with us. Time to call it quits on this strive for perfectionism because the reality is, you’re already doing a solid job of taking care of yourself—and that should be celebrated.
Normalize Doing Less
New Year’s resolutions wind up adding more to your already full plate. You know the usual culprits: hit up the gym on the daily, eat less takeout (aka more cooking), learn a new skill, keep up on laundry, finally go through your junk drawer. It’s an endless list that is 100% about how we spend our precious time.
Rather than add more to your overflowing plate, here’s three ways to do less and protect your inner peace this year:
1. Drop Some To-Dos
Take some of those daily to-dos away. Think about everything you do in a day, and yes, late night droomscrolling counts as a “thing” you do (no judgment). Choose a few things that really don’t fill up your well-being cup and drop them for good. We're booting the midday social scroll hole and mouth tape off our new year island.
Now, here’s the tricky part. Leave those newly found precious 15-30 minutes open to just be present—without reaching for your phone to fill the void. Get lost in your imagination or relish in starfishing on the floor or gazing out into the abyss, whatever is calling to you. You deserve those precious moments to do less.
2. Focus on the Good
Make a list of all the good stuff you already do. Like how you manage to stay positive while your neighbor learns violin and the walls are paper thin. Or how you always call your dad for advice on fixing something because you know he loves feeling needed... and always has a few tricks up his sleeves that AI bots could never. Go ham writing down tidbits of goodness. Fill a page or two and be proud of it.
When your spirit needs a little lift throughout the year, revisit your list. If the good nuggets aren’t flowing (we get it), ask your bestie or your partner what they see. Their observations may surprise you in the best way.
3. Dabble in the Do Not Disturb
Ask yourself, do you really need notifications on for every app on your phone? Of course, your people need to be able to reach you, but perhaps you can stifle the onslaught of social pings, email alerts, or even work message (don’t tell your boss we said so). The truth is we’re attached to our devices now more than ever, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll miss something urgent.
Start by turning off app notifications that you usually ignore or delete. Then, try turning on Do Not Disturb during your morning routine (with an exception for your fam, of course). Or put your phone on Sleep Mode an hour before you go to bed. See if it helps you focus on one thing at a time—or just unplug and take a beat from the always-on world.
The Anti-Resolution Reset
There’s no need to hard launch a new version of yourself every 365 days. You need (and deserve) a little kindness and compassion because you’re a living, breathing, complex human being. Your needs ebb and flow with the season, your cycle, life stage, the moon, how much sleep you get—all of it. Listen to your body and see what she actually needs. A nap? A deep breath? A moment in the sunshine?
Unsubscribe from the “New Year, New You” mentality this year and beyond. Keep your metaphorical cup full and your plate balanced. And most importantly, try to be okay doing a little less (for once).
References
1 Lloyd, M. (2024, January 12). 2024 New Year’s Resolutions: Nearly Half Cite Fitness As Their Top Priority. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/ - New Window
2 Sanders, L. (2022, December 28). What are Americans’ New Year’s resolutions for 2023? YouGov. https://today.yougov.com/ - New Window
