I know its early but - what are your resolutions for 2024? I'm taking a different approach next year.

[SmurfTERF]

I know its early but I'm already thinking about my new years resolution(s) for 2024.
I have a year-long work-based resolution which is to say "no" to every "opportunity" thrown at me 😃

But, in my personal life I'm opting for a different model for 2024. Rather than setting nebulous, long-term ambitions for the year that I fail at almost immediately, I'm going to set monthly resolutions. These can, of course, roll over but each month will have a new ambition - maybe to try a new hobby, maybe to eat more of something, eat less of something else, maybe learn something, maybe start a new behaviour, maybe stop an old behaviour....

I'm excited and felt I had to share.

What resolutions are you planning for 2024?

Colin Murray inspired me years ago with his approach to resolutions. He basically said 'we set ourselves up to fail with going to the gym, losing weight, saving money, achieving a career goal, etc. So why not make a resolution that actually will make us happier?'
Since then, my resolutions have been things like doing the telegraph crossword at least once a week, rereading Jilly Cooper, buying slightly less cheap loo roll, and eating more poached eggs. Really small things, but they make me feel better, and I don't feel guilty if I don't achieve them!

I like the idea of monthly resolutions, I might be able to achieve that. Thanks for the idea.

That's a great approach. Part of me taking it month-by-month is that I can set smaller ambitions which I can't really "fail" at because I'm only giving them a go for a handful of weeks.
In contrast, my DP's ambition is to lose 1.5 stone, get into shape, start martial arts. Too big, too nebulous, doomed to failure IMHO.

You're very welcome @Joolly2
The idea is that by the end of 2024, I'll be able to look back and see that I've achieved a lot without a sense of year-long obligation hanging over me.

For some idea of scale - my Jan 2024 resolution will be to eat more pears. I love pears but I'm out of the habit of buying them.

Get out there and buy those pears! I honestly think your approach is much healthier because it's based around smaller, achievable goals & you get to look forward to the next month's new thing, instead of saying 'oh, I failed at X on 17th January, so I'm giving up.'

I'm also following an unorthodox path and starting my resolutions from 1st December! Why wait? I'm going to reinstate daily walks which I kept up with long after COVID lockdowns but have dropped off over the last year. Want to make it part of my routine again.

I've not gone the monthly route, that's short term enough to be covered by the many lists I write thru the year. I've always got little goals on the go, I don't achieve all but I focus on the wins!

I set year ones as actual resolutions, they vary in detail but very reasonably achieved. For example, this year included using the no dig approach on my allotment. Last year & year before, I chose a specific craft at paddle club to be the one I'll use virtually every week & focus hard on development. Next year I'm choosing a different craft & for my allotment I'm getting started now, compared to April this year & build on this year. This year's list is quite unambitious, probably good because one of last year's was buying my first house so that'll probably take up a lot of time

You're right @sadeyedladyofthelowlandsea I should follow @mum2jakie lead and get my pears in now for a 1st December resolution 😂 😂

I love hearing about everyone's resolutions!

Yep I do fun resolutions, not worthy ones. So things that I’ve always been meaning to do but put off because life gets in the way. One year it was to go to a certain restaurant, another year to try a martini.
Just think of something you’ve always wanted to do and resolve that 2024 is the year it happens.

I'm going to stop placing made up 'exotic missing pet' posters (Jimbo the silverback gorilla, Clive the Komodo dragon etc) around the neighbourhood but I think I might miss laughing at the morons on nextdoor.com venting their collective spleens too much.

Please, please do not stop doing this. I wish there was something so exciting on my local NextDoor

Love the monthly resolutions, and love the idea of starting in December! Great idea to get healthier this month instead of waiting for January

I do a stop / start / continue list at the start of each year. So I think about some new stuff that I want to start - I love the modest but fun stuff like buying more pears and eating more poached eggs! I also think about anything that's just not working for me that I want to stop, and make a list of great stuff that I'm already doing that I want to continue. I think the important thing is not giving yourself a mountain to climb, and to be reasonable in your expectations of yourself

To work harder (self employed).

To resume yoga at home.

Oh, I love the Stop/Start/Continue approach. I might use that for my work resolution actually. Thank you.

@Augustus40 Are you going to be any more specific about your resolution to work harder or will the aim "work harder" work for you? Sorry, I'm not trying to be goady at all. I just meant that I'd be useless with a resolution like that - I'd need something more tangible like "only take half hour for lunch each day" or "attend at least four networking events this year".

'Oh, I love the Stop/Start/Continue approach. I might use that for my work resolution actually. Thank you.'

It's a framework that I learned about at work, so that would fit really well 😊

In 2020 I set myself the challenge of trying two new things a month - one bigger, one smaller. They had to be fun things I really wanted to do, because I was looking for a resolution I would want to keep and this seemed a good way to inject some fun into my life.

Of course, the Lockdowns interfered with most of the one I'd planned out of house! But I managed trying a dance exercise class at the gym (well out of my comfort zone), making lemon curd, reading a book in a genre I'd never usually try and some other smaller ones. And I suppose the big new experience of living through Lockdown 🫤

This thread has reminded me of that and I think I'm going to dig out my 2020 journal and have a go picking some new things to try again for 2024 😃

@canihaveonetoo I'm excited for you to pick-up your 2020 list of "Must Tries" next year.
Of the handful you did manage to try in 2020, did any of them stick? My friend went to a "Come along and try your hand at pool" night with the same idea of trying something new and fun. She absolutely loved it and is now club secretary.

This year my resolution was to read more of the "classic" literature. Books that always crop up on lists that I'd never actually read e.g. Jane Eyre, Life of Pi, Rebecca, Wolf Hall, The Kite Runner etc. I've loved it and it's introduced me to books I'd never normally have read.

Next year I want to try to cook one new recipe a month. I've got loads of cookbooks gathering dust and am stuck in a rut with family dinners so I'm thinking this will be fun and achievable.

I want to do small projects next year but rather than monthly I am going to follow the old Celtic year cycle. So my new year will start with Yule on Dec 21 and run into February when Imbolc begins. I'm going to do an appropriate project for each period of time. I'm looking forward to it.

I gave up.making punishing NYE resolutions Aldo January is the worse month to start eating salad!

Saying that I do make nice ones and they inspired better living all round.

So read all the novels I have acquired on the shelves that I will donate/pass on, if for no other reason than then I can acquire new ones! But it has to be in that order.

Get stuck back into some hard graft gardening a final big push to sort garden out then the plants can do the rest of the work in replacement of a resistance work out at the gym.

And just generally be content with the lovely life we have whilst we have it.

Have another crack at mastering cryptic crosswords.

Stop fretting about the teenagers they aren't that bad just sometimes bit to proud to ask for parental help until it's too late.

Digitally file my photos so I can find the ones I want without spending a hundred hours scrolling trying to remember which month they were taken in!

@tinselvestsparklepants that sounds like a lovely idea, I shall look into that, I'll probably find a few things to add to my list. I love the idea of getting more into the natural rhythms of the year, too easy to disconnect in this world of electronics and time spent inside!

Yes @SmurfTERF the dance class actually stuck, I surprised myself how I liked it - the lady i nearly collided with going the wrong was v forgiving 😁 which helped!

I mean earn more money lol.

😂😂😂

To continue losing weight.
To start using Apps on my phone instead of avoiding them.
To try to get out and about more, still not where I was pre covid.