4 practical tips for your new year resolutions

by Toyosi Adegunle

20 days into a new year. Can I still say Happy New Year? I guess so. I hope it’s been a great year for you and yours. Every new year, we all write resolutions, make new plans, create new affirmations and more. It’s a constant MO and it’s great, to be honest. It’s important to make plans at every point in time and most importantly be disciplined enough to bring them to life and stick to them. 

Let’s talk about resolutions:

• There’s a universal dislike for resolutions because of the perceived school of thought that it’s just a facade and people hardly ever do the things they plan to do. There’s nothing wrong with creating a list of things you’re picking and dropping in a new year but do you have what it takes to actually do them? 
• Firstly, writing a resolution is not a bad or weird thing to do. It just means you are very reflective of your life, habits and processes and would love to change your life or make it better. Resolutions are there to keep you in check and help you become a better person. Regardless of the popular disdain for it, people still do it and get it right. 
• Resolutions are not limited to a new year. It seems as though people only make these lists of what to do and what not to do when they are crossing over into the new year but you can make daily, weekly and monthly resolutions too. The key is starting now. If you had “stop procrastinating in 2023” in your resolutions, the best time to actually stop procrastinating is two seconds ago when you decided to push your work further for another 72 hours. Start now. 
• Start small. Don’t overwhelm yourself with too many resolutions or goals and then find it hard to get 10% of them done throughout the year. Be very realistic and practical. Set smaller resolutions and create processes to see them happen. For example:

                ○ “I want to stop spending more than 4 hours cumulative on social media” How? Set up the timer feature on Instagram for a start. It notifies you when you have spent a certain time on the app.

• Seek help. “Not by power, nor by might, but by my spirit,” says the Lord. It is easy to make resolutions but help and strength truly come from the Lord. Life may happen, and you may get tired along the way but God is able to provide you with the capacity and strength to be more intentional about doing. 

If you haven’t made resolutions because of the general disdain for them which is also as a result of people not actually doing them, it’s not enough reason to not write your resolutions and stick to them. Here are 5 ways to bring your resolutions to life:

• Write. Yes, write. Don’t keep a mental note of the things you’d like to change or add to your life. 
• You must have read and heard this before but keep an accountability partner. Someone of like minds and visions that you can keep tabs on and can do the same for you. No pressure, just simple check-ins. This is super helpful and greatly slept on when it comes to achieving goals and bringing things to life. 
• Pray. Submit your plans to God. It’s important to be aligned with God’s will for your life per time before actually working on them. Spend enough time in God’s presence (as always) sharing your plans, thoughts and wishes; and let God help you determine what to do and what not to do. 
• Keep a journal. You can keep a daily or weekly journal to track the things you've done and what to do better. Journaling also helps you stay reflective and conscious of your plans. 

Write your resolutions today if you haven't. They don't have to be perfect. It's an acknowledgement of your willingness to have a better year and be more intentional. I hope you have a beautiful year!