Every new year is full of promises to be better in every aspect of life: career, health, finance, social life, and so on. So what is your pledge for the new year?
New year’s resolutions have earned a not-so-great reputation because the drive to reach them tends to fizzle out, but yours don’t have to end in disappointment.
Look at this list of promises or tasks to face 2022 with hope and purpose. You can modify each new year’s resolution to suit your circumstances and sustain the momentum.
Start the new year right here.
1. Eat Healthy
Eating healthy foods benefits the body and mind. Admittedly, this goal encompasses many habits involving eating, cooking, and shopping, so you need to narrow it down to a few attainable goals.
For example, aim to include more vegetables or fruits into your meals based on the recommended dietary allowance. Skip the junk food and find healthier replacement snacks. Or increase your daily water intake to 10 cups.
2. Exercise
Exercising is a new year’s resolution that is hard to keep. Evaluate what stopped you from being physically active and try to resolve those roadblocks so that you can move forward this time.
Anchor going to the gym to an objective. Is it to tone your stomach, build your biceps, strengthen your legs, lose weight? Then talk with a fitness instructor for an effective workout regimen apt for your goals. Track your progress too.
3. Socialise
Socialising helps you form networks based on shared interests like professional growth and business. It also hones your interpersonal skills, particularly your confidence in interacting with people from all walks of life. Being with friends also improves your mood and reduces loneliness.
The past years have proved that communicating and maintaining relationships using online technologies is valuable. So whether it’s done in-person or virtually, choose to build social connections as a new year’s resolution.
4. Declutter Your Desk
Some people work well when their desk is messy because it stimulates their creativity. But it’s a different matter if your workspace is too cluttered for you to work peacefully and deeply. That’s one strong case for organising your desk.
Decluttering is an ongoing task, so keep these tips handy:
- Papers accumulate fast, so store by importance and priority.
- Set up your computer/laptop and related accessories first.
- Add other accessories according to their usefulness. Leave space for your coffee mug.
5. Update Your Resume
If you haven’t looked at your resume recently, now is the time to do so. First, check it for outdated information like contact details and employment dates. More importantly, make sure it reflects your recently added skills, certifications and accomplishments. These tweaks are essential in landing a job or getting into graduate school.
Keeping your resume current is a task that requires time, patience, and attention to detail. While you want it to be concise, you can’t cut the substantial parts that make the document relevant. Aside from your resume, you have to update your work portfolio regularly.
6. Learn a New Skill or Two
Picking up a new skill is part of self-development and growth. This skill can help perform first, be your job or enhance your career choices; it can also be something you want to learn for fun or practical purposes.
There’s a wide range of skills you can choose to master and practice in 2022. Here are a few examples of new skills to learn for the new year.
- Public speaking
- Speed reading
- Improving memory
- Improving nonverbal communication
- Learning a foreign language
- Improving focus
- Gardening
- Video editing
- Learning basic car maintenance
- Learning basic home repairs
- Coding
- Cooking
- Photo editing
- Playing a musical instrument
- Mapmaking
- Journaling
7. Save Money
Find many ways to save money every day. For example, if you are an office worker, bringing your lunch, brewing your coffee, and walking to/from work can reduce your expenses. Working from home opens more opportunities for saving money, with daily commuting costs out of the picture.
8. Earn More
Having an additional source of income can increase your capacity to save or fund purchases outside your strict budget. Here are some of the most popular ways to earn extra money:
- Online jobs: Some of these tasks don’t require experience or certifications.
- Offline gigs: Offer dog walking, babysitting, and other personalised services via apps.
- Online business: Opening an online store to sell clothes is one.
If you have a full-time job, ensure that your side hustles don’t compete/conflict with your primary occupation. Check your employment contract and related documents.
If you are a full-time freelancer, establish your niche and reputation to land well-paying jobs. For more freelancing tips, read this guide.
9. Find Motivation
You know your abilities and limits, so use this knowledge to understand what would keep you going amid difficulties and temptations to procrastinate. These strategies can help you see through your goals from start to completion. Of course, getting encouragement and support from friends is also a plus.
It may keep you motivated when you work for things that are meaningful to you. For goal-setting purposes, consider these steps:
- First, be specific in every goal, and be detailed in your action plan.
- Then, take small, consistent steps.
- Finally, remain realistic: change takes time, and progress is not evident immediately.
10. Celebrate Your Wins
Any achievement is worthy of recognition, and it is proof that you can succeed. Also, celebrate now because you’ll be busy with your new goals soon enough.
Treat your family to a nice dinner (even at home) in light of your recent pay raise. Then, buy yourself something nice as a reward for your hard work in the past months. Then, pass on the kindness to others.
To inspire and motivate yourself, list your accomplishments and put them somewhere you can see every day.
Here’s to a fresh start and a fruitful year with a new year’s resolution or two. Let’s toast to a better you.
