78 Examples of a New Year's Resolution

A New Year's resolution is goal that is set at the start of a new year. This is a tradition that dates back to antiquity. For example, the Ancient Romans began each year by making promises to the deity Janus, for whom the month of January is named. In modern times, up to 50% of Americans make a New Year's Resolution with about 12% of these reporting some success in achieving their resolution. The following are common types of New Year's resolution with examples of each.

Introspection

Take time to reflect on each day with its failures and successes and to identify improvements.

Lifestyle

Move to a place closer to the canal so that I can skate to work in the winter.

Quality Time

Strictly get home in time for dinner each night.

Health

Drink less and only in moderation.

Sleep

Get to bed by 11:00 on weeknights.

Diet

Prepare healthy meals and avoid all convenience foods and sugary snacks.

Exercise

Jog three times a week.

Responsibility

Get a rescue dog and take care to give it a good life.

Stress

Treat people well such that I deserve respect at work. Quickly sideline stressful projects, situations and conversations to move on to healthy productivity.

Projects

Construct a little greenhouse in the garden for winter herbs.

Good Habits

Study German on the train every morning and evening.

Bad Habits

Stop spending time on social media. Limit to an hour a week.

Friendship

Make time to see my friends each week.

Family

Call my parents every weekend.

Education

Complete my dissertation by June.

Learning

Learn how to sail this summer.

Knowledge

Figure out why the sunflowers in my garden keep dying.

Leisure

Prioritize time to relax and read. Target: 4 books a month.

Creativity

Write dozens of draft songs a week and produce at least a few tracks each month. Get a few music videos out by the end of the year.

Freedom

Take two weeks off for a bicycle tour of Hokkaido.

Languages

Read a French novel each month to improve my vocabulary.

Talent

Practice drums and find a band to join.

Career

Take on important work and challenge others for dominance of conversations to increase my visibility at work.

Profession

Learn more about machine learning to begin to transition into an AI role.

Work-Ethic

Focus on productivity at work by avoiding time wasting activities such as checking the news.

Time Management

Reduce the time I spend on accounting and taxes by finding an accountant and delegating bookkeeping to my staff.

Work-life Balance

Manage expectations and commitments to keep my workload more reasonable this year. Target: 10 hour days or less.

Business

Grow partnerships with promoters, bands, DJs and other talent to increase monthly revenue 50% over last year.

Spending & Saving

Stop spending on impulse purchases with a rule that I need to consider significant purchases for at least a week before buying. Save at least $800 a month for retirement.

Debt

Live humbly this year to pay down my debt by at least $2000 a month.

Income

Look hard to find a job with higher pay.

Working Conditions

Find a less stressful job that is more compatible with my personality.

Quality of Life

Go hiking on weekends when the weather is good to enjoy nature and fresh air.

Home

Work to unclutter my apartment by reducing some of my stuff and organizing things better.

Wealth

Preserve my savings by choosing investments that are low risk and unemotional such that I can hold them for the long term.

Social Status

Study hard to get into a prestigious university next year.

Purchases

Research bikes and buy a lighter model that is reliable.

Entertainment

Find worthy movies, shows and music each month to enjoy the creative output of others.

Play

Build interesting virtual worlds but cap my game time at an hour a day.

Events

Start going to concerts again.

Fashion

Reduce spending while improving my style at the same time by being careful with my purchases and trying to use the clothes I have in creative ways.

Travel

Visit Japan this summer.

Art

Visit more art museums and events.

Culture

Participate in a traditional dance festival this summer.

Nature

Plant a flower garden in Spring.

Activities

Learn to ski and get really good at it.

Romance

Do something romantic or kind each week for my partner.

Social

Invite people out and keep an open mind when invited.

Parenting

Teach Michael to swim and Jessica to play chess.

Memories

Keep a journal and remember to take a few photos of family events.

Humor

Try to see the humor in things to be more relaxed and likable.

Honesty

Be honest but not in an unkind way.

Personal Resilience

Find opportunities to give presentations and talks to overcome my fear of public speaking.

Adventure

Cycle from France to China.

Reinvention

Push into new things to reinvent myself this year.

Risk Taking

Join an ice hockey team this year even though I haven't played for years and I'll likely be the oldest player on the team.

Risk Management

Jog three times a week and regularly go ice skating to get in shape before the hockey season to reduce the chance I will get injured.

Religion & Spirituality

Approach everyone with kindness and try to see the good and potential in each individual.

Thinking

Learn to identify the emotion behind what people are saying or doing to respond better to situations.

Emotions

Try to avoid dwelling in negative emotions such as envy and spite.

Open-mindedness

Try to support other people's ideas more.

Optimism

Make ambitious plans and view the future with a sense of optimism.

Pragmatism

Try to accept that the world is complex and difficult with many grey areas such that compromises are required to get things done.

Realism

Recognize my limits to take on pursuits where I have some chance of success.

Failure

Accept when I've failed and look for value in failure such as a new path or something that can be learned.

Reputation

Improve my reputation by living up to my moral principles.

Forgiveness

Don't look back in anger this year.

Gratitude

Think of reasons to be grateful each day. Express gratitude to others where there is a worthy opportunity.

Positivity

Try to look at people and situations in a positive light.

Kindness

Find ways to be nice to people each day.

Humility

Stop competing for social status in social media.

Patience

Learn to maintain my composure and happiness in difficult situations such as traffic jams or intensive office politics.

Happiness

Decide to be happy. Find reasons to celebrate, play or enjoy quiet reflection each day.

Change

Push for laws that require companies to recycle or reuse as much plastic as they sell.

Altruism

Volunteer my time to make a difference locally without virtue signaling about it.

People & Planet

Massively reduce the amount of waste I produce with lifestyle and purchasing changes.

Epic Meaning

Work to make every weekend and vacation a meaningful adventure.

Happiness

Learn to enjoy the process of overcoming problems to try to remain happy whatever should happen.

Process Goals vs End-Goals

A process goal states what actions you will take. For example, "consume less calories and exercise more." An end-goal is a targeted result such as "lose 15 pounds." Generally speaking, process goals are more useful as they are actionable. Each process goal can have a matching end-goal but it is the process goal that is important.

Process Goals vs End-Goals

Common reasons for failed resolutions include making too many resolutions and making unrealistic resolutions. It is also common for people to simply forget about their resolutions in as little as a week. One method for keeping a resolution, is to keep it to yourself. Telling everyone you're going to achieve a goal tends to boost your ego and decrease your motivation to actually achieve it.