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.
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.