At the beginning of every January, New Year’s resolutions are a shiny beacon of hope for a better year to come. Unfortunately, usually before the end of the month, these resolutions are either broken or ditched because of busy schedules and tough-to-break routines. This year, keep it simple and try out some resolutions that you can fit into your already busy routine.
You don’t have to skip the go-to resolutions. Even if some people call them repetitive, they are tried and true for a reason. You can, however, give some of them a creative spin that you can actually keep up with. Eat healthy without starving yourself, pace out all of the classes you want to try and free yourself of your technology attachments, even if it’s just for an hour a day. You’re a busy bee, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have goals (like learning something new!). Here are some creative ways to tackle your resolutions without bogging down your schedule.
Switch Up Your Nighttime/ Morning Routines
Waking up or winding down properly can be a difficult daily task. To trick your brain a bit, switch it up and try taking care of some of your morning routines before bedtime. Try pineappling your hair, dry shampooing before bed, using an overnight serum or doing something as simple as showering at night. Practicing new beauty routines can become part of your nighttime chill out process and give you more time in the morning to make some quality breakfast or coffee instead of running out the door and dropping dollars on expensive smoothies or lattes. Another option: Use those minutes for some extra snooze time.
Leave the Technology at Home
It’s hard to keep away from addictive technology, but taking tech breaks — even short ones — can do wonders. Whether it’s once a day or a few times a week, try to take an hour to get out of your house and leave your phone behind on purpose. Whether it’s a walk, any kind of outdoor exercise, a trip to the farmer’s market or even just to sit down in a park with a book, letting go of the urgency to constantly check your texts or email for no reason gives your mind some much-needed rehabilitation. Also, to make the difficult end-of-the-night wind-down a bit easier, give your electronics an early bedtime to clear your mind. Save some battery and recharge yourself instead.
Green Up Your Kitchen Routine
When it comes to ditching unhealthy eating habits — especially post-holidays — people tend to gun it starting January 1. But remember, eating better shouldn’t be an unsustainable sprint: There are much easier ways to upgrade your food. Try having a sugar-free morning, get better at meal planning, show healthy fats some love, hide your veggies, try new recipes and just embrace having fun in the kitchen. By making healthy swaps and trying a hand at some new kitchen adventures, eating better in the new year can be something to look forward to instead of dreading.
Write Stuff Down
Whether it’s for journaling, writing down a funny thought or making notes on an overheard conversation that makes you giggle, keep a notebook on you at all times. Journaling is an underrated and therapeutic practice that can capture moments in a different and deeper way than any Instagram could. Think beyond your notes app!
Reconnect With Old Pals
Keeping in touch with the important ones in your life, old school and new, can be a tough task when busy schedules are involved. You can send your love, or even just a funny note, via tons of snail mail apps like Punkpost, which lets you send notes with an artistic flair (they have artists and designers on hand to make your sentiment extra beautiful) or Postagram, which lets you send post cards with your own pictures through your phone to your friends. You’re sure to get bonus points for sending more than a run-of-the-mill “thank you” text.
Take Different Classes, Just Not All at Once
So your friend has been raving about this Bikram Yoga class, your co-worker takes a burlesque class that sounds way fun and you’ve been wanting to take a photography course since college. The year is new and you are motivated to do it all, which you can — just do it one step at a time. Look at each class schedule and plan. If one is only available during certain months, go for it! If another is year round, make the limited schedule classes first priority. Go ahead, sweat out your downward dog, shake your tail feather, spin your little heart out and keep things interesting in the new year.
Save Up Without Even Knowing It
“Save more, spend less” is a common resolution. Rather than having to keep tabs on your checkbook, download apps that do the saving, investing and tracking for you. Increase your savings without even knowing it through Digit or play your hand at the stock market with your spare change through the investment app Acorns. With these apps, grown-up financial planning for the year can finally be user friendly.
Get Rid of Everything, Seasonally
“Out with the old and in with the new,” right? Easier said than done. Cleaning out and reorganizing your closet can be cleansing but also headache inducing. Give yourself a break and just focus on what you want to get rid of season by season. There will be of course some obvious things that you can easily get rid of (you never wear that belt — just free yourself) but it’s hard to decide in January if you’ll want to wear your favorite old sundress in July. A healthy closet detox will reset you for the new year, but doing it seasonally will help reduce any pressure you put on the wardrobe cleansing and give you an excuse to throw a clothing swap during transitional weather times.
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This post has been updated.
