Danielle Jeanjaquet
It’s a new year, and you know what that means: making your new year’s resolutions!
Every year I make a new year’s resolution or two, but I always have the hardest time actually completing my goals!
Anyone else?
I usually start off strong with my goals, but once February hits, I tend to go back to my old habits.
Well not this year!
I’ve come up with 5 easy new year’s resolutions for myself, and for you! These are simple, but effective, goals that are meant to be stepping stones to achieving your larger aspirations.
Whatever you hope to improve on this year – your fitness, relationships, careers, hobbies – these easy resolutions can at least help you get started.
So, don’t wait to give up on your resolutions in a month. Start completing your goals today with this list of easy new year’s goals!
#1. Buy a gym membership.
Fitness and workout goals are certainly one of the most common new year’s resolutions out there. But, these kind of goals are often hard to stay committed to, so let’s make this easy: just buy a gym membership!
This is a resolution that you can literally check off your list in only 5-10 minutes. Still, by enrolling in a gym, you are setting yourself up for fitness success for the rest of the year.
For me, I have a hard time not using something that I spend money on. So, if I pay for a gym membership for 6 months, I’m going to use it!I
If you are the same way, this might be a good place to start to get you working out consistently.
While in-person gyms are great, I’m currently enrolled in an online gym: Les Mills On Demand. I love working out from home, and picking out my own workout classes. It’s pretty affordable and easy to sign up for too!
#2. Complete a 2 week diet cleanse.
For those of you looking to make a health or nutrition resolution for the new year, then here’s an easy goal for you!
All you need to do is cut out a specific food group from your diet for 2 weeks. That’s only 14 days – you can do it!
This could work for just about any type of food group: sugar, gluten, dairy, meat, etc.
And, if there’s a specific food or drink that you struggle to avoid – soda, fast food, Oreos, whatever it might be – you can take a 2 week cleanse from that too.
It can be really hard to cut something out of your life indefinitely, so try it for 2 weeks and see what happens. If you survive 2 weeks, then maybe you can try to extend your cleanse for another week or two.
Or, you can start a new cleanse from a different food group to see how it affects your body and energy. For example, take two weeks off from gluten, then two weeks off from dairy.
This resolution is a great way to discover what kind of diet choices might work best for you. And who knows – maybe you’ll discover that you don’t need Diet Coke to survive after all!
(And for more help with getting healthy and fit in the new year, check out my list of the 7 Free and Easy Ways to Lose Weight.)
#3. Buy a new planner and get organized for the month of January.
Other common new year’s resolutions are often to get organized, or be more productive in work or school. This is an easy way to set yourself on the right trajectory.
First, go buy yourself a cute planner for the year! This can be a fun goal – be sure to pick out an agenda that represents your personality and that you are sure to enjoy writing in.
Then, it’s time to get organized for just the month of January, to start. Fill in all your upcoming appointments, work deadlines, and other plans or major to-do items for the month.
Throughout January, perhaps you’ll find that having a useful planner makes your life so much easier, which will motivate you to stay organized and productive through the following months as well!
There’s no reason you can’t start getting organized and keeping track of your deadlines today.
#4. Make plans with 3 friends and/or family members.
I hear it all the time that someone’s new year resolution is to spend more time with friends or family, but this seems to be one of the hardest goals to keep up with when life or work gets in the way!
So, here’s an easy resolution that will help you get the ball rolling on making this the year that you prioritize the important relationships in your life.
Try texting or calling just 3 friends and/or family members and make solid plans to meet up with them for a meal or activity.
I don’t just mean a vague “let’s get coffee sometime” text. No, actually make real plans with them. Set a date and time so that you can write it in your new planner!
Hopefully, you’ll find that those relationships are worth sacrificing your own time for, and you’ll make plans to meet up with that person again. This simple resolution could really be the start of building some deeper connections with the people that matter to you.
#5. Enroll in a class for a subject that interests you.
A lot of people choose to start a new hobby or pursue a new interest for their new year’s resolution, and here’s an easy way to do that: enroll in a class!
This is similar to idea #1 with the gym membership. If you go ahead and spend money or commit to something, you are more likely to follow through with it!
So research online to see what kind of classes really interest you! Maybe you have always wanted to take piano lessons, or you want to enroll in a 6-week yoga program at a studio nearby.
Perhaps you’d like to enroll in an online course in painting, finance, starting a business, or another activity you’d like to explore.
You can find a class for just about any topic nowadays – all it takes is a quick Google search and signup, and your resolution is complete! Then, it’s no pressure to go take the class – you can just enjoy the learning process.
Tips for Your New Year’s Resolutions
Here are some final tips to keep in mind as you complete the goals above, or if you decide to write your own new year’s resolutions!
1. Be as specific as possible.
When making your goals, try to be as specific as you can! Quantitative goals are so much easier to meet than broad aspirations, as you know exactly what to strive for and when your goal is actually completed.
Here’s a simple formula you can use for writing your goals: ACTION + AMOUNT + LENGTH.
For example, instead of a goal like, “Lose weight,” try, “Lose 5 pounds in 8 weeks.”
Or, instead of saying, “Write more,” say, “Write 2 blogs a week for 3 months.”
That way, you know exactly what to accomplish, and how much time you have to get it done!
2. Tell someone about your goal(s).
It’s certainly a lot easier to ditch your new years resolutions when you are the only one who knows they exist. So, find a friend and tell them what your goals are!
Even better, find someone who will agree to be your accountability partner and check up on your progress every now and then. Offer to do the same for them too!
It’s a great way to keep your goals on track, and help someone else do the same.
3. When you decide on your goal, set reminders on your phone immediately.
Deciding on a goal is easy, but remembering to actually do it is harder.
So, as soon as you make your goal, make some reminders in your phone, on your calendar, in your planner – wherever you are mostly likely to see the notification to get your goals done!
Putting reminders on your iPhone is great because you can easily set up recurring reminders that will ping you at the same time every day or week.
Your reminder can be to show up for your voice lesson, to not eat sweets that day, to text your Mom “I love you” – as long as you mark those goals right away, you are more likely to follow through in the long run!
4. Don’t stress. Enjoy the process of progress!
So many people stress about their goals so much that they are almost afraid to try to achieve them – I’m certainly guilty of this too!
Let this be your reminder that it is okay if you don’t complete a goal. It is also okay to change your resolution to a different goal halfway through the process. And, it is okay if you need to take a break from your goal to focus on something more important.
This may be cheesy, but what really matters is that you actually try.
Enjoy the journey of crossing to-do’s off your list and seeing yourself grow and improve. It should be fun – not stressful!
That’s all my ideas and tips for making easy and quick new year’s resolutions!
What are your goals for the new year?
Let me know in the comments below!
