Why you should SKIP New Year’s resolutions

Have you set your New Year's Resolutions?

Do you want to start a business? Lose 20 pounds? Or travel more?

But let's be real. How many times have you successfully followed through on your resolutions?

Year after year, millions of people make a commitment to change while standing at a transition point between the old year and the new.

But the reality is that most of us will give up on our resolutions in a few weeks or months at most.

Most New Year's resolutions are made in a moment of enthusiasm and don't account for the depth of commitment needed. They're often made out of desperation when another year ends and we're left wondering what we've done with our time.

Here's what I suggest - SKIP making New Year's resolutions and let's focus on lasting and meaningful change.

Reasons To SKIP New Year Resolutions

Need more reasons to skip resolution-making altogether in 2024? The following arguments lay out why resolutions don't work and why they're set up for failure to begin with.

1. Resolutions Are Too VAGUE

You may argue that your resolutions are anything but vague, but hear me out.

Wanting to travel more or hitting the gym ARE vague. They sound good when you post them on social media, but they're more of a vague promise than a real commitment.

It's far more effective and real when you set quantifiable and realistic goals.

The most popular way to turn vague goals into meaningful resolutions is to make them SMART goals - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

When you turn your overarching travel goal into something specific like 'I will visit Norway in December to see the Northern Lights' or 'I'll follow the keto diet, work out 3 hours at the gym every week, and lose up to ten pounds in the next six months', then you have something to work on.

Not to mention, you'll rethink your resolutions when you see the reality of making them happen. In short, don't make a resolution if you can't commit to something specific.

2. Resolutions End Up Being Harder Than You Think

While making resolutions, we tend to overestimate ourselves or underestimate the task at hand. We addressed this to some degree in the previous section.

What happens is that when the New Year arrives, we're high on enthusiasm and motivation, and we get the irrepressible belief that we can do anything.

Resolutions don't have limits, but they have to be reasonable.

It's worth recognizing that resolutions can be hard. And this isn't to demotivate you or tell you you can't change.

It is about respecting the process, dedication, effort, and learning needed to accomplish something. when you have clarity and understand a goal in detail, you have the edge to make real change.

Say you're a travel blogger, and you resolve to visit every country in Europe. This lofty goal requires immense resources, time, and energy. If it's something you can do, then follow through. But if you cannot, in reality, find the resources, time, or effort to make it happen, you're wasting energy on resolutions that are better placed elsewhere.

The very setup of creating resolutions is fraught with issues. Starting with setting impossible goals. This should make you reconsider setting something as lofty as a resolution for the new year. But if you focused on simpler, smaller changes, like signing up for a travel website email list if you want to travel or writing blog posts if you want to become a content creator, then you're more likely to do something big.

3. Resolutions Don't Take 365 Days Into Consideration

Be honest. Creating resolutions is something we do without thinking about the entirety of the year ahead.

We make a resolution, often just for the sake of it, and then manage to do something for the first few weeks.

The truth is that resolutions almost never take the whole year into account - the whole 365 days. And that is a lot, but a resolution that's worthwhile should consider the future in concrete numbers.

Seriously, don't make resolutions. The cultural ideas they embody are for massive change in unreasonable periods of time. So, what should you do instead?

Have a simple plan instead. Chalk out an action plan that supports a resolution or instead of it.

Suppose your resolve is to spread the word about your small business in the digital space. But before making that kind of resolution, design a digital marketing strategy for your business.

Like designing a website this month, creating quality content for your blog next month, regular social media activities, and so on.

Then, based on such a plan, resolve to follow it throughout the year to achieve the desired results.

That way, you'll make gradual progress throughout the year instead of trying to rush everything through at the last minute. All you will have to do is make your resolution a little more detailed and kind of like an action plan.

Resolutions Gives You Stress

Resolutions are touted as a positive thing you can do with your life. But we all know that it can be more stress than growth.

Resolutions are goals or something you want. And should you fail to achieve them, you end up feeling frustrated and disappointed. There's also the constant pressure to perform which inevitably leads to stress and anxiety.

Plus, the time limit of one year or needing to see results soon puts even more pressure on you. And the more time passes by, the more stressed out you become about achieving your resolutions.

I say, skip making a resolution. But make plans instead without a huge to-do.

If you want to start a business, do it without labeling it as a big resolution.

You'll likely do more and better without turning the process into a big, stressful 'must-do' at the start of a year.

Resolutions Can Limit Your Potential

At times, having resolutions is like having a fixed mindset. They limit your potential and restrict you from exploring new opportunities.

For example, if you resolve to aim for a promotion at your current job, it restricts you from exploring other career options that might be better suited for you.

You might be a content writer with great graphic design skills. But since you have set your mind on getting that senior content editor role, you miss out on the opportunity to explore your graphic designing skills. And possibly even start your own online business.

Or you might have resolved to travel to a festival like Coachella because everyone is doing it. But by restricting yourself to that one festival, you are missing out on other travel experiences that might be more suited to your interests and budget.

Resolutions make you stick to a specific path and limit your growth, missing other opportunities. Flexibility, on the other hand, can offer more opportunities than you could imagine.

It's worth it to avoid resolutions if they are just creating boundaries that prevent growth and new experiences. You can also find amazing experiences by deciding to go with the flow.

Resolutions Often Lead to Unhealthy Comparisons

It's easy to fall into the trap of comparing our lives and achievements to those of others, especially when we spend hours on social media daily.

Sometimes, you make resolutions by getting inspired by some social media influencer, celebrity, or acquaintance. You see them doing something and feel like you should do it, too. But in the process, you forget that everyone's journey is different.

For instance, seeing one of your friends doing solo international trips, you make a resolution to travel solo as well. But once you start planning, you realize that traveling solo isn't your cup of tea and end up feeling disappointed with yourself.

Or you might see someone else's Instagram post where they have completed a marathon, and you make the resolution to run one yourself. But in reality, you don't even enjoy running and end up feeling miserable.

Instead of comparing yourself to others and making resolutions based on that, focus on your own interests and capabilities. Comparing your achievements or progress with others often leads to unrealistic expectations and unhealthy competition.

Conclusion

There's an obsession with New Year's resolutions all over the world. And yet, another year will come, and you'll once again find yourself making resolutions that will peter out again.

But next year, instead of making resolutions for the sake of it, take a step back and think about your goals. Set realistic and achievable goals instead of vague resolutions.

Rather than calling them resolutions, name them as goals, targets, or plans. That way, you'll feel more motivated and less burdened by them.

Not to mention, you don't have to wait for a new year; you can start anytime.