New Year’s Resolutions: A Different Approach

New Year's Resolutions: A Different Approach

Happy New Year 2023! I am not sure a year went as fast as 2022 did. Seriously. As you age, I do feel time goes way faster but last year was quite something. Not a bad year but a very intense one with a lot of ups and downs. Okay, I have to say, overall a good year. Now, each new year brings the unavoidable new year’s resolutions.

I did decide on a few resolutions last year and to be honest… I quickly gave up. As the year went on, a lot of those New Year’s Resolutions felt irrelevant and even obsolete. Indeed, it is always very difficult to predict and foresee what a new year will actually bring. And whether you will even be able to stick to those resolutions.

There is so much that can happen in a year after all!

Thus, I have decided to approach New Year’s Resolutions in 2023 a bit differently. Instead of mapping out my whole year while being just a few days in, or make a list of 10 or more things I’d like to do, I have decided to take it month by month. Resolutions are like any other goals, they must be S.M.A.R.T.: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound.

A long list of action items or being over-ambitious usually is not S.M.A.R.T. Not sure if you recall, but last year I did have 5 New Year’s Resolutions, and while I was able to keep up with a few, I was not able to sustain any of them over an entire year:

  1. Staying away from TikTok: TikTok is way too entertaining and is also a very good source of knowledge and information. I do believe the app offers a lot of value and it is my go-to for those few minutes before bed.
  2. Getting back to the gym: While I did go to the gym rather frequently and consistently over the first few months of 2022, exhaustion got the best of me. My work day is pretty intense and I did not have the energy to get into the gym after 6pm.
  3. Blogging frequently again: Huge fail. I may have posted a maximum of one post every other month.
  4. Creating content and growing my Instagram account: I did get back into creating content, be it photography and videos but I have not done so as intensely as I would have hoped. However, I still feel I have reached a good rhythm, so all in all, I did pretty well here.
  5. Starting reading again: While I did have a good start to the year and read quite a bit, I got stuck into a huge reading slump due to a succession of terrible books. Paired up with exhaustion from work, lack of energy and some TV shows I wanted to catch up on, I have not read as much as I have wanted to.

I am not gonna mulled over those or overthink how I could have done better. Instead, I mentioned earlier, I will totally change my approach to New Year’s Resolutions. Indeed, for 2023, I will determine each month:

  • 2 things I need to stop doing;
  • 2 things I need to start doing.

This way, I will take things month by month and I will adjust those goals each new coming month based on the results of the previous one.

This new system offers enough flexibility that I will be able to adjust and adapt as I go, especially if the previous month did not go as planned. While I am not yet looking to February and further, I am looking at January for now. For example, one thing I know I want to start doing in January is meal prep so that I can eat healthier food and save money.

Starting in January, I will write a monthly blog post sharing my goals, how they are indeed S.M.A.R.T. and how the previous month went (if applicable) so that I know how to adjust goals for the next month. So stay tuned for January, whose blog post will come soon!

Chicwich outfit for the new year Chicwich outfit for the new year New Year's Resolutions: A Different Approach

Shop the outfit

What about you? Have you decided on New Year’s Resolutions just yet? Or will make any? How did you keep up with your resolutions from 2022? What do you think of this system: 2 things to start doing, 2 to stop?

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you liked this post.

See you soon,
Love,
Corinne.

Share:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *