Top Ten New Year's Resolutions You Can Keep

The new year is upon us, and it is time to make or adhere to our new year's resolutions.

This year is going to be completely different from the last, right? This year, you are determined to fulfil all your resolutions come what may.

And if you haven't made any resolutions yet, here's a couple of tips to get your started

1) Work out 

The number one resolution on everyone's list! 

Every year, lots of people decide to get into shape and even join gyms to show how dedicated they are to fulfilling their resolutions only to give up quickly. 

Turns out, exercising every day isn't as easy as celebrities make it look on social media and movies. The first few sessions will push your body to the limits, and you'll be left with aches. 

But you'll still push through another day of rigorous exercise. 

After your body finally realizes that you do intend to keep up your promise, it starts to ache less. 

Unfortunately, by this time, you're also bored of the routine. 

Plus, it takes too much time in the day. 

You could be doing something else instead. Like watching a new show everyone is talking about. Or eating new snacks.

On the other hand, having a regular job makes going to the gym even harder. You'll have to go only after work hours and by then you're so mentally exhausted, you just want a hot meal and a soft bed.

Very few people make it through the year keeping this resolution.

But the new year will be different.

2) Cook at home

You know you're on a budget and last year you've ordered delivery so many times the delivery person knows your name by now. The restaurant knows exactly how you like your food. You're famous! 

Except, you've noticed that some of the fruits and vegetables in the kitchen have started to rot.

You come home from an exhausting day, and the last thing you want to do is prepare a meal from scratch.

And so, you pick up your phone, find an app that has the best food delivery offers, and order in.

You're totally going to do your grocery shopping, stock up your kitchen, and cook delicious meals you saw online.

But by the time you're done with your work and all the household chores, you open up an app, see that you have been awarded a coupon, and order your favourite food.

You deserve a treat for your hard work, don't you?

The only way you can stick to your resolutions of cooking at home is if you have some help or learn how to meal prep beforehand so that cooking becomes easier and satisfying.

3) Make an effort to socialise

Life gets so busy sometimes that more often than not, your friends take a backseat. 

Messages are answered late. Calls are ignored and promised to be taken later.

Distant family relatives become even more distant.

Before you know it, you realize you don't have a social life at all, not even an online one.

Socialising takes time and effort, but it is worth it to have some people around who can be there for you emotionally and make you laugh when you need to the most.

Start small. 

Reply to a message. Send a good morning message. Let everyone know you're still alive.

Try to wish friends and family on their birthdays. Don't think you'll remember the dates. Just feed it on your calendar app and make sure the reminders are on.

Slowly, build up a list of people who are okay with you not replying to their messages immediately.

4) Learn a brand new skill

You probably have to keep learning new skills as a professional.

But do you know there are several other skills out there just waiting to be learned.

They can be enjoyable too! 

Learn how to juggle. Or paint. Or draw a proper flower. Or cheat at cards. Or train your pet. 

If all of this feels too time-consuming, download Duolingo and let the bird make sure you always log in and complete one lesson a day. If you skip a day, whether or not you have notifications enabled, the Duo bird will change its icon and make you guilty for not showing your dedication to learning a new language.

5) Be kind and helpful to strangers

Everyone says to stay away from strangers and be wary of them. 

Don't worry, when they see you, they're wary of you as well.

While you don't need to impose yourself in their lives and force help on them, there are certain activities you can volunteer for.

You can go help at charity centres or organise a charity or clean up of a beach or park. Help animals if you don't want to help humans.

Also, the next time anyone asks you for directions, tell them you actually don't know rather than giving them wrong directions and hoping they didn't end up in a desert.

6) Read at least one book

You may think this is an easy one, but it's not. There are hundreds of books out there, and when you finally pick one, you're bored by it, and it ends up in the Didn't finish pile.

But in the new year, promise yourself to complete one book. At least one.

And no, as an adult, reading children's books does not count. Promise yourself to finish one novel so that you can update your Goodreads list. Finally.

7) Try an activity you have never done before 

There are tons of things to do that you've never done before.

Have you gone skydiving? Have you gone on a hike in the mountains? 

Have you explored your own neighbourhood even? 

Maybe this year you can make your own adventure. Watch two movies at the cinema on one day.

Go to a mall that is not in your district and visit a new neighbourhood.

Find a new cycle track and go cycling. Or go skating and skiing.

If you run out of ideas, there are always dozens of sports you can try out and play.

8) Exchange negative thoughts with a positive one

In the new year, promise yourself to remain positive no matter how it goes. 

Start small. Every time a negative thought enters your mind, train yourself to allow it inside only if you have entertained a positive thought first.

For example, if someone has annoyed you, instead of thinking negative thoughts, maybe you can change it to: Oh, that poor thing. They must be going through so much personal stuff that they thought they could dump it all on me. Let me not make their day worse by calling them a stinky rat.

Or if you have a bad day, tell yourself: at least I have enough saved up to buy myself a tub of ice cream. And if they don't have my favourite ice cream flavour, there's always cake!

9) Get enough sleep

Who has time to sleep when there is work to be done?

There will always be work to be done, but if you don't give yourself time to sleep, you will look like a racoon that no one deals with.

Lack of sleep will leave you craving junk food, make you irritable, and, as mentioned before, make you look like a racoon.

So find a way to get enough sleep during the day. Your body will work so much better after you give it enough rest to recuperate.

10) Cut technology time

How can anyone say that! Time away from my laptop? Okay... maybe that's manageable.

Time away from TV, sure okay. Nothing good is on anyway. 

But time away from my phone? No way! 

Smartphones are the gateway to the world that is out there. It is advanced technology in our pocket. We can take photos, make videos, watch movies, listen to music, connect with friends and families, and scroll through everyone's feeds and reels.

There's no way life without a phone can be imagined.

But if you truly want to give your eyes a break, then you need to switch off the phone and do anything else, but keep checking up on updates for the latest gossip. As tempting as it is, you have to resist and either read a book, listen to music, or go for a walk.

And no, you can not read a book or listen to music on your phone!

Hope the new year brings joy to everyone, and may everyone make resolutions they can actually keep.