100 New Years Resolutions - Ideas For Inspiration

Honestly, I think it’s fair to question the value of writing anything on this subject, but perhaps, like me, this is the first year you find yourself really thinking about and reflecting on New Year’s Resolutions. Am I an idiot for setting (or not setting) one? Does it really matter? What goals are most common?

So I did a little searching and asking and, well... there are a lot of strong opinions.

For some, resolutions represent brain-dead group think, goal-setting at its worst, and a great way to set up the new year for early failure. For others, they’re always a good idea, an opportunity to build self-awareness, the perfect time to make a change, and the marking of a fresh clean slate.

Love or loathe the popular annual tradition, one thing that is abundantly clear is the consistently high rate of failure.

According to commonly-cited online statistics (always a dependable source), of the approximately 40% of Americans who set a resolution, about 80% fail before the end of February. Only about 10% actually follow through and achieve their stated aim.

From what I can gather, the consensus as to why resolutions fail essentially boils down to 1) picking too many goals and 2) having goals that are too vague.

Popular resolutions include Losing Weight, Better Diet, New or Improved Relationships, Quitting Smoking, Drinking Less, Saving Money, Getting More Sleep, Helping Others, and Enjoying Life More.

The good news is that, for the average internet dweller who thinks they have next to no will power, you actually have stacks of amazing resources at the ready to beat the odds, including this clear and concise walkthrough from Psychology Today and this handy checklist from Britain’s National Health Service.

That said, it’s probably also wise to treat the area of goal-setting psychology broadly with an ounce or two of caution. For example, there’s evidence to suggest telling people about your goal will make you more likely to succeed, but then there’s people who say sharing your goal is a really bad idea. Social science… it’s not always exact.

Below are 100 ideas purely for inspiration — mostly common or popular resolutions but also a few unusual ones — just to get the creative juices flowing or perhaps spark something that you hadn’t considered, while keeping in mind that it’s not generally recommended to state your goal too broadly (i.e. almost every idea I’ve selected below). For example, a better version of “Lose Weight” would be something like "Lose 10 kg in 3 months” but of course the specifics in that instance will depend on your unique physical and psychological profile. Again, the web is filled with lots of useful step-by-step guides such as the two linked previously and it might also be worth incorporating a goal-setting framework such as the widespread and relatively flexible SMART Goal Setting Model.

100 Ideas

1. Lose weight
2. Build muscle
3. Quit smoking
4. Reduce alcohol
5. Reduce sugar
6. Reduce caffeine
7. Detox or cleanse
8. Eat healthier
9. Try a new diet
10. Try fasting
11. Get a new job
12. Ask for a promotion
13. Freelance
14. Start an online business
15. Get out of debt
16. Save 10% (or more) of your income
17. Get organised
18. Spend more time with family
19. Reduce stress
20. Enjoy life to the fullest
21. Stop procrastinating
22. Travel
23. Meditate more often
24. Have better sleep
25. Take up a hobby
26. Learn a new skill
27. Improve cooking / cook more at home
28. Learn a new language
29. Go vegan for 1 week
30. Spend less time on facebook / social media
31. Less time on smartphone
32. Quit looking at phone while in conversation
33. Spend less time watching TV
34. Hire a coach or therapist
35. Redecorate the house
36. Do something for charity
37. Volunteer for a worthy cause
38. Start a community project
39. Join a local community group
40. Join toastmasters
41. Join a gym
42. Create a home gym
43. Get a personal trainer or take a group fitness class
44. Run a half or full marathon
45. Try an extreme sport
46. Floss every day
47. Volunteer
48. Find a pen pal
49. Improve a relationship
50. Try internet dating
51. Better sex
52. More romantic
53. Better dancer
54. Read more
55. Have a baby
56. Focus more on appearance
57. Focus less on appearance
58. Improve concentration and mental skills
59. Be more confident / take more chances
60. Face your fears and insecurities
61. Learn to be happier with what you have
62. Be more grateful
63. Adopt a pet
64. See your doctor more often
65. Learn more about art, music, culture, etc
66. Learn to paint, draw, or sculpt
67. Learn how to defend yourself
68. Be more social
69. Start journaling
70. Stop trying to please everyone
71. Less time thinking about the past / future
72. Being kinder to self / stop putting yourself down
73. Less negative thinking
74. Reduce overthinking
75. Curb perfectionism
76. Become a morning person
77. Better work/life balance
78. Start a blog
79. Beautify your workspace
80. Clean your computer / desktop
81. Clean out / update your wardrobe
82. Take an online course
83. Mentor someone
84. Do nothing more often
85. Create a budget
86. Ask for help
87. Limit news consumption
88. Limit entertainment consumption
89. Spend more time connecting
90. Stop arguing with people online
91. Create an emergency kit
92. Make a “gratitude list”
93. Unsubscribe from junk emails
94. Skydive
95. Go for a walk everyday / every other day
96. Get a bike
97. Be more polite
98. Say “please" and "thank you" more often
99. Donate blood
100. Read 25 great books

For me personally, I haven’t set any resolutions yet, but my focus will likely be on my health and fitness, and spending less time online.

Hopefully you have enjoyed at least one of the posts I’ve shared on the blog this year. (This will be my last for 2018.)

Happy goal setting and I wish you a wonderful Christmas.