As we ring in the year 2024, it’s time for us to reflect on the past, appreciate the present, and set our sights on the future. Let’s make this year count! Here come the New Year’s resolutions.

New Year’s Resolutions are a funny thing. The new year rolls around and we tell ourselves it’s an opportunity to start fresh, to take up the hobbies and habits that we hadn’t started yet, and to become the person we’ve always wanted to be. The truth is that the start of a new year isn’t necessarily going to make our implementation any more successful than at any other time of the year. If we have the power or ambition to crack a new habit on January 1st, you’d think we could start it at any time.

But there’s something nice about drawing a line in the sand and making that resolution on the first day of the year. It’s the same reason why we like to start our housework or that work task at the top of the hour. And because 2024 starts on a Monday, that is especially satisfying.

Forbes Health/One Poll conducted a survey in October 2023 with 1,000 Americans, getting their feelings and experiences with New Year’s Resolutions. Of the group surveyed, 37% had set between one to five new goals for the coming year, with the top five resolutions relating to improving fitness and/or diet, losing weight, improving mental health and improving finances. The same survey found that most people keep their resolutions for an average of 3.7 months, which is actually better than the unofficial New Year’s Resolution Quitting Day, celebrated on 17th January.

my 2023 new year’s resolutions

On New Year’s Day 2023 I was sitting on the back deck with some friends talking about my resolutions for 2023. I had three goals for 2023.

1. To shower every single day. Why would I need to set myself a resolution to shower every single day? Showering has always felt like such an effort for me. Getting ready for a shower seemed to always take so much energy, but once I got in the shower, it was quite nice. Don’t worry, I have always showered (I’m not a feral), but if I hadn’t exercised, or it had got too close to bedtime, or I didn’t need to leave the house, it was very easy to just not worry and shower tomorrow. There has been a bit of a debate around whether you need to shower everyday, but I do always feel better if I do shower. This resolution is one that I have kept and successfully continued throughout the year, and will continue to do moving forward.

2. To buy less clothing. After doing analysis of all the clothing that I had purchased in 2022, I had a bit of a shock. Firstly, I had spent a frightful amount of money. I had spent the equivalent of six months of rent, or the purchase price of a small brand new car. And secondly, of that amount, I had only worn 25% of what I had bought. I had bought clothes that I really had no business buying, given my lifestyle. For 2023, I did have ideas of doing a no-buy year, but decided against it because there are times when you do need to replace things. I can proudly say that I have been successful with this resolution, as well. I spent two-thirds less on clothes this past year, and I have worn just about everything I’ve bought. I do think that I could probably still reduce the amount I buy, but this is something that I can definitely continue with.

3. To take 10,000 steps every day. This was always going to be a stretch goal. This resolution came to me late last year. I had spent my last New Year’s Eve dancing the night away, and I saw that I had achieved around 15,000 steps on December 31st. I then decided that I should just continue doing this for the rest of the year. 10,000 seems to be the number that indicates a healthy level of physical activity, but I found it quite a challenge. Even with walking my dog everyday. I would be dancing in my living room in the evening to hit my step count. But after 101 days, I gave up. To be fair, I did have an injury where my ankle would lock itself up, which made stepping a little painful. But after falling at 101 days, I didn’t attempt again. I am definitely of the opinion that physical activity is important for health, I think that is indisputable, but hitting an arbitrary number isn’t necessarily going to make you healthier.

my 2024 New Year’s resolutions

The new year starts in four days, and after much consideration, here is my list of new year’s resolutions for 2024.

1. Improve my sleep. I am a terrible sleeper. Nearly every morning I wake up feeling tired and unrested. There are a lot of days when I am tired by 4pm and struggling to get through the rest of the day. I will admit that I don’t do everything I can to set myself for a good night sleep. So this will be something I will be looking to improve. I wear a smart watch to bed each night, which tracks the quality of my sleep, so I will be able to try a few different strategies and check how these have impacted my sleep score.

2. Get organised. I have somehow developed a reputation as being an organised person, which is very flattering, but not true at all times. I like to keep things organised because it reduces a lot of stress, but sometimes when you get tired or busy, things can become disorganised. ‘Getting organised’ can be a bit of a general goal, and maybe hard to tell whether you have successfully reached, so I want to break it down into a few different sections. I want to organise my rooms so that when life gets busy, life doesn’t get messy. I want to create routines so that I can fit all my activities in and I don’t miss out. I also want to consistently use my planner to keep me on track with priorities and meet deadlines. This will take a bit of discipline to start with, but once these are set up, it will make life a lot easier.

3. Try a new recipe every week. This one, I think, will be an easy one to stick with. I am a decent home cook, and I have my go-to recipes, but I want to branch out and try some new ones. I am a sucker for a kitchen appliance and I would like to broaden my repertoire and use those appliances a bit more. I also have a number of cookbooks that I’ve never tried recipes from. So, I think I am well set up to be able to achieve this resolution.

I will keep you up to date on how I am going with these resolutions. I may find some interesting ways of living my lifestyle that I can pass on to you to help you make life easier.

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