At this point, you've likely noticed a pattern in the New Year's resolutions that people tend to make. After all, a new year has a way of reminding people what they want out of life. It's easy to forget once we fall back into our daily routines, but the point of the resolution is to fight against that status quo.
So as you consider your own resolutions, you may find that some of the goals we're about to talk about will speak to your desires as well. And that just means that so many of us are on this journey of self-improvement together.
Losing Weight
Although you may occasionally hear of someone wanting to gain weight in the next year, it's a lot more likely that anyone telling you their resolutions will mention this.
Of course, it can be a tricky goal, and there are enough unused gym memberships in the world to tell us that it's an easy one to get discouraged about. That's why it helps to set smaller target weights that seem more achievable rather than aim for your big goal in one shot.
Exercising More
For some, their fitness-related resolutions don't center around any specific weight number but rather a desire to become more active.
While this is probably a healthier approach to improving our health than obsessing over what it says on a scale, it's also a goal that can easily go by the wayside. It's for that reason that people often make specific fitness resolutions like walking or running a mile every day.
Eating Healthier Foods
For some, a health-related resolution will involve making an effort to include more vegetables or other healthy foods in their lives.
And on the flip side, the more common resolution you're likely to see involves giving something delicious but ultimately harmful up. This one's a little harder to achieve, but it's also one that prevents a bad habit from messing up the progress you would otherwise make.
Organization
What this actually means tends to vary from person to person, but we can get a real sense that people want to organize their lives more during New Year's.
Whether this means finally getting their homes in order after putting that off for so long or introducing a set schedule for what you're supposed to do, it's natural to want some sense of proactive control over your life.
Getting An Education
With some exceptions, how exactly a person resolves to do this tends to revolve around their age. For teenagers who are about to graduate high school, this resolution can usually involve working hard enough to ensure they get into the college they want.
But for those who are a little older, there may be a desire to push themselves into going back to school after being dissatisfied with their current career path. Or maybe they're seeking the education they never accessed in their youth.
Read More Books
There's so much satisfaction that can come from a good book, but it takes a little commitment to get all you can out of one. And when a hot new release hits streaming services, it's hard not to set that commitment aside and make it another thing we're putting off.
So that's why breaking that cycle and making a serious effort to enrich our minds with literature is such a common resolution. And it's one that won't make us sweat, either.
Learn A New Skill Or Hobby
We all get into ruts sometimes, and we often find that the best way out of them is to find a new pursuit in life. And while some people resolve to learn more about the skills they think will help them in their careers, it's never a waste of time to attain new knowledge.
So some will resolve to start doing something they've always wanted to try that will seem creatively fulfilling. It'll take some effort, but it's usually worth it.
Spending More Time With Loved Ones
Our lives get busy all the time, which can have the sad effect of turning the people we love the most into near-afterthoughts. And for those who make this kind of resolution, that's not a trend they want to continue.
Whether they're talking about the family, their friends, or even their romantic partner, the people who make this resolution don't feel like they're truly there for their loved ones and want to change that.
Planning Activities With Loved Ones
This may sound part and parcel with spending more time with the special people in our lives, but that's not necessarily what people mean when they make this resolution.
Because being there for loved ones is often framed as a necessity, but a group outing or especially a vacation together is considered more of a stretch goal. After all, finding a sweet spot in everyone's schedules is no easy task.
Travel More
New Year's is a time to reflect on how we'd like to improve our lives, which can sometimes lead us to think about what we're missing out on. And if somebody realizes they've never been outside of their home country, they might pledge to finally see other parts of the world.
Because as stressful as traveling can honestly be at times, it can also afford us some unforgettable experiences that we can genuinely say have enriched our lives.
Saving Money
The odds are good that if someone isn't resolving to change something about their health, they want to do something about their money. Buyer's remorse is real, and we can sometimes find that it applies to a whole year's worth of expenditures.
So whether they're specifically making a point not to spend money needlessly or just save more than they have been, this is a resolution you can pretty much count on hearing.
Paying Off Debt
Whether it's because of a credit card, a student loan, or the consequence of a bad habit, it's hard to go through life without accumulating at least some debt.
So naturally, those who do have that to deal with what to get out from under it. And since that requires some concentrated effort towards a goal that isn't easy to achieve, it's prime New Year's resolution fodder.
Improving On Skills You Already Have
This one can vary a little depending on what you're good at, but there's a lot of satisfaction to be had in getting even better at it. And it's just generally worth it to reconnect with our passions in a way we may not have considered before.
So whether we're talking about a tech-savvy person learning a new programming language or a wonderful cook making an effort to learn new recipes, this can be a powerful and rewarding resolution.
Focusing On Mental Health
As more and more messaging comes out to make the public aware of mental health issues, we've seen more opportunities for those living with certain conditions to realize they're not alone.
And in many cases, we can see some folks realize that they've become complacent and used to the problems their conditions can cause them. As such, it's not unusual to hear some resolve to be kinder to their mental health and seek help dealing with it.
Drinking More Water
With all the fun, sugary drinks there are out there, it can be a little tough to remember to make time for good old, plain water.
But as we all know, it's important. The more hydrated we are, the healthier we feel and the clearer our skin usually is. And the good news is that once you start a habit of drinking water when you're thirsty and not something else, it's a fairly easy one to maintain.
Sobriety
As we know, the dawning of a new year is a time when we often feel inspired to make changes in our lives that we've been considering for a while. So it makes sense that it would also be a time when some people start their sobriety journeys.
There are a lot of people out there who can say that certain intoxicants have an adverse effect on their lives, after all. And while sobriety is one of the hardest resolutions to keep, it's also one that our friends will root for the hardest.
Writing A Book
Although we can sometimes hear people resolve to read more books on New Year's Day, it's just as likely to hear someone try and work up the motivation to make their own contribution to the literary canon.
Many people have made entire careers out of doing this, but that doesn't make it any less of a daunting task for the average person. But when it's your dream, it's definitely worth making into a resolution.
Maintaining a positive attitude
Let's face it; the last few years have given us a lot to be negative about. And while a dark mood can feel oddly liberating at times, it tends to weigh down the spirit when you just expect misfortune at every turn.
So while it's silly to pretend that bad things never happen to us, it's understandable why some would approach a new year with the resolution to not let their outlook on life get too negative.
Cutting Down On Social Media
In recent years, you're significantly likely to hear friends resolve to either cut social media out of their lives entirely or set a hard limit on how much of it they use.
And that's not only because it's easy to get addicted to clout and the instant gratification it brings. There's also the effect that online screaming matches and even seeing people's seemingly perfect lives can have on our mental health.
Finding Love
Although we often hear that you can't hurry love, there is still no shortage of people each year who make finding a romantic partner one of their resolutions.
That said, it's not such a surprise that this would come up so much. There's a lot that we don't really get around to doing in a given year, and putting yourself out there can certainly be one of them.
Cutting toxic people out of your life
Even when we know that someone isn't good for us, we can sometimes find it surprisingly hard to make a clean break from them. Whether they're a bad friend or an ex, some people have a real talent for worming their way back into our lives.
And so, it's not uncommon to hear people resolve to finally make that break happen whether the other person likes it or not. And it's why they usually pledge to make no contact whatsoever with that person.
Volunteering
It may not be the first resolution everyone thinks of, but a new year can also find some people feeling charitable. So we can sometimes see people pledge to give back to their community more in the coming year.
Animal shelters are naturally a popular outlet for this altruistic streak, but organizations that help the homeless, veterans, and the elderly are also common choices.
Finding A New Job
New Year's resolutions are all about finally putting action into something you've been meaning to do for a while, and seeking a new career path is close to the top of the list for a lot of people.
And it's easy to see why it takes so long as even a bad job can seem like the devil, you know, compared to an uncertain market. But there's nothing wrong with looking, and even that can take some resolve.
Getting Enough Sleep
Obviously, there's only so much we can do about this one if our bodies don't want to cooperate. But that's rarely the problem for the people who make this resolution.
Instead, they're aware that either through a feeling that there aren't enough hours in the day or some ill-timed impulses, they're staying up later than they should be. And understandably, they want to work towards healthier sleeping patterns.
Cutting Out Procrastination
Some resolutions are about the specific things we want to stop procrastinating about. But there are also a good number of people out there who do it so often that it makes the resolution list simpler to say you want to cut that out entirely.
It sucks when it seems like your best ideas come at the last minute, but it is possible to make yourself try before it's time to worry.
Moving
With a new year often comes some big and new changes, and hanging where you make your home is certainly a big one!
Of course, life circumstances usually aren't so neatly scheduled that you can wait until New Year's to move, but it seems to be a popular time for a couple to think about moving in together.
Running A Marathon
While keeping in shape is a worthy goal in and of itself, some folks find it harder to commit to that goal when there isn't one big specific thing to prepare for.
But that's only part of why it's so common to see people pledge to run a marathon as a new year dawns. Because sometimes, in life, it's just about seeing whether you can actually do it.
Keeping A Diary
As life gets faster, it can be easy to feel like each day is passing you by and even easier to lose track of time as we go through each day. This feeling can make the idea of keeping a diary a fairly common New Year's resolution.
After all, it's not starting a daily journal that challenges us the most with this resolution. It's keeping one up after the first few entries.
Not Making A Resolution
If you think about it, resolving not to make a resolution would probably be up there with losing weight and saving money if we tallied every New Year's resolution in the world.
And I don't just mean ignoring the practice each year. I mean people who actively pledge not to make any resolutions. Well, aside from that one, I guess.
To Live Life To The Fullest
In a way, one could see all of the most common resolutions as ultimately working towards this goal. But for a lot of people, living your life to the fullest is a resolution in and of itself.
And while there are specific ways some may want to go about this, these resolutions tend to have more to do with the mindset with which one approaches life. It's often about not taking anything for granted.
