It’s that time when we all start thinking about taking on a New Year’s resolution or two. Whether you believe that New Year’s resolutions are cliché or not, it’s always a great idea to have some goals in mind to help stay focused on what you are working towards.
Remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day, and progress isn’t linear. So don’t beat yourself up if you diverge. Just jump right back in when you feel ready.
Deciding to do better is the first step!
To help you get started, we’ve curated a stellar list of truly good New Year’s resolutions ideas.
Popular and Unique New Year’s Resolutions
1. Drink More Water
Your body is about 70% water, and we all know that we need to stay hydrated, but it doesn’t always come naturally.
We could all use a little more water in our lives. Thankfully there are ways that you can keep track of your water intake including, apps such as MyWater, a marked water bottle, or you can be really fancy with a smart Bluetooth water bottle that connects to your mobile device such as the HidrateSpark.
2. Sit Less, Move More
We are all a little guilty of sitting too much. Whether working at a desk, having a long commute, or just binge-watching your favorite series, we all could use a little more movement in our lives.
If you work from home, think about getting a standing desk or if you’re in an office, go take a walk during your lunch break, or take the stairs instead of the elevator. Make a goal of taking daily walks, a bike ride, or a jog. All of our mobile devices track our steps, so make a goal of how many steps you’d like to do in a day!
Choose something that will get you up and moving a little more often.
3. Listen to Music Instead of TV
We all know that we should cut down on the amount of screen time. And we know that there are better things to do than watching TV, like listening to music. So instead of watching a TV show, try putting on some music to relax or download and listen to a podcast about a subject you're interested in.
If you're like us and like having white noise in the background when doing other things, try switching it to music. Music is an excellent alternative to turning on the TV, plus it's a little more motivating and way less distracting!
4. Create a Skincare Routine
Make this year the year you get serious about your skincare routine. Do some deep diving into skincare research. You know your skin better than anyone else, so find out why if it gets a little irritated or gets red with certain products!
There are some great places you can find online that will break down everything you need to know. We suggest this subreddit r/SkincareAddiction.
Or, if you have some favorites, but they are a little expensive, check out SkinCareDupe to find products with the same ingredients but at a lower cost.
5. Practice Intentional Breathing
Intentional breathing is a simple yet powerful tool. Intentional breathing exercises can help slow down your breathing pattern and improve lung efficiency.
These breathing exercises are particularly beneficial for people with asthma and other conditions that cause shortness of breath. Intentional breathing can also help you keep calm when you’re feeling anxious.
There are many different breathing techniques — find some of these in this article.
Breathe your way into a calmer New Year.
6. Consume Less, Live Simply
We’re not talking about adopting the minimalist lifestyle. You can still keep all of your belongings, but try to be a little more conscious of your spending habits. Think about items before you buy them.
Impulse buying is hard to get away from, but if you stop for a second, take a look at what you’re about to buy, and think, “do I actually need this?” You might be surprised by the answer.
You’ll end up saving money and decreasing the amount of stuff in your life. Win-win!
7. Make Coffee at Home
Want to save more money? Well, getting a coffee at a café means that you’re spending a whole lot more than you need to. Did you know that getting a coffee from a café has one of the biggest markups, so you’re paying way more than you need to.
Plus, it turns out that making different kinds of coffee at home is surprisingly easy. So maybe this goal isn’t too hard to accomplish with the current events if you’re working from home. But perhaps there is something else you can try to make at home rather than going out to get it.
8. Go Meatless on Mondays
Help the planet out and cut back on your meat consumption. A little will go a long way. If you haven’t tried the vast array of plant-based meat alternatives, you should. They are actually very delicious, and with some brands, you can’t even tell the difference between plant-based and real meat.
Plus, eating no meat on Mondays will encourage you to increase your veggie, fruit, whole grain, and legume intake — which we all need more of.
9. Make Eco-Friendly Choices
Think about the choices that you’re making when purchasing products. Making a positive impact in the world might feel pointless when you see it as just you doing something, but we need to look at the bigger picture.
If we all made these little choices, it would add up as a whole. Choosing which products you support with your hard-earned money is an important step to show companies what you as a customer value. So taking more steps to be more eco-friendly will put pressure on companies to do the same.
10. Double Your Amount of Time Outside
We all need (a lot) more vitamins. Instead of reaching towards vitamin D supplements, you can go outside. Just spending 20–30 minutes more a day in sunlight will help to restore your vitamin D levels.
You can take your dog for a walk, go for a hike, take a walk around your neighborhood, or explore an area you’ve never been to before. There are unlimited options that you can do outside. Even take a blanket to a park to soak up those sun rays.
11. Wear Sunscreen Daily
Even when it's cloudy! Since you'll be spending more time outside, protecting your skin with a good SPF is essential. Did you know that clouds don't filter out the UV rays, so you still need SPF protection when it's cloudy outside? So don't let the clouds fool you.
The most significant change that you could make to your daily routine is putting on sunscreen first thing in the morning and re-applying during the day. Sunscreen helps to reduce the risk of sunburns, signs of aging, risk of skin cancer, skin discoloration and reduces inflammation.
12. Monthly Act of Goodness
A little bit of kindness that you give out will go a long way. Never forget that small gestures can really brighten a person’s day.
Here are a few acts of goodness ideas:
Give an unexpected compliment
Let someone cut in front of you in line
Give someone your seat on a crowded bus or subway
Check out these printable cards from the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation for more inspiration!
13. Call Home More
Whether home is with Mom, Dad, Grandparents, or siblings, call them more, be the one who makes the first move! No matter who it is, they’ll appreciate you calling to check in and letting them know what’s going on in your life and for you to discover what’s going on in their lives.
A phone call is way more personal than a text message, so pick up that phone and give them a ring!
Because they love you so much, so spread the love right back to them.
14. Adopt an Attitude of Gratitude
Choosing an attitude of gratitude means making it a conscious habit to express appreciation for a beautiful life.
Gratitude shifts your mindset, it’s a small perspective change, but it can significantly change your life. If you want to make changes in your life, two things can happen, something changes in your life, or you do. Waiting for something to change is a passive solution.
So, adopting a gratitude practice takes you out of the problem and toward a solution.
15. Send Thank-You Videos
Saying thank you is the simplest form of expressing gratitude. Studies have proven that expressing gratitude affects not only the grateful person but also anyone who witnesses it. So if you want to make an impact say thank you in a video message so as many people can witness the goodness as possible.
“Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.”
— G.B Stern
Saying Thank You with VidDay
Saying thank you with VidDay is so simple. With little effort, you can make a big impact.
Whenever you want to thank a friend, relative, coworker, or someone else who has helped you, it's always so thoughtful of you to show your gratitude towards their help. However, there are times when words on paper might not be enough, and you want to do something a little more special.
That's where a VidDay thank you video gift comes in. At VidDay, we want to give you a tool to create a personalized thank you video that allows you to express your gratitude. Learn how to make a thank you video with VidDay’s ultimate guide to video making.
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There are so many different ways you can personalize your thank you video message. We have a vast selection of themes and music for you to choose from. Plus, you can send your beautiful video gift to anyone around the world! Isn't that wonderful?!
Show your thanks with a thank you video gift.