New Year'sResolution Ideas

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS AND HOW TO STICK TO THEM

The Christmas tree is packed away, you ate more chocolate than you care to admit and you’ve made a note to buy more lights for the tree next year – that's the 2024 festivities complete.

Now let’s look into the future and what the next year can bring – any year has to be better than the one just passed, right? Plus, with a new year comes new opportunities and new year’s resolutions.

Now, we have all set a new year’s resolution or two at least once in our lives – whether it’s to walk 10,000 steps a day or to eat less chocolate – resolutions can be great and have been proven to help break habits and create new ones. But you don't have to do them all by the 1st January, the key to keeping your resolutions is time management and planning.

But we're not talking fad diets or lifestyle changes here, oh no. We want to help you make resolutions that make you feel positive and allow you to grow as a person.

WHY YOU SHOULD MAKE A NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION

A new year means a clean slate and a fresh start – we can all do with one of those! – and the opportunity to make a difference. Making a list of new year’s resolutions can help you see your dreams, goals and aspirations all in one place.

No resolution is too small or too big (unless of course you say ‘move to Mars' because we all had that thought last year and we can confirm that that is too big).

Instead, we've come up with some new year’s resolutions to help inspire you to focus on yourself and family and develop new skills along the way. So if you’re thinking: 'what should my new year's resolution be?' check out some of our favourites below and let’s make 2024 a year to remember.

1. PICK UP A HOBBY

Having a hobby is good for you. It’s true. The benefits of having a hobby include reducing stress levels (exactly what we need) and helping you develop your focus. Some great hobbies you can take up include:

• Photography: Whether you want to capture memories or how beautiful the world is around you, photography is a relatively easy hobby to get involved with. You could even get started with your smartphone!

• Flower arranging: Learn more about these beautiful blooms, which ones work together and create arrangements for friends and family to perk them up over the next 12 months. All you need to do is pick up a bouquet and have fun creating a stunning display in a vase at home. You could even treat yourself to one of our flower subscriptions, so you can practice your new hobby month after month.

• Knitting: This isn't a hobby just for your Gran. Knitting is not only great for easing stress (as long as you don't drop a stitch) but it also gives you the satisfaction of making beautiful things with your own hands.

• Gardening: Plant new flowers, care for wildlife, grow your own fruit and vegetables – gardening is a practical and soothing way to spend time outdoors.

2. TRY A NEW CRAFT

Have you ever wanted to try your hand at a new craft? Maybe a little candle making or embroidery is just what your need to add to your new year’s resolution list. Crafting is a great way to make new things for your home or as gifts and can fill your days and weeks with hours of fun. Some crafting ideas include:

Card making: Fun and low-cost to start, card crafts are simple to make and don’t require you to be an expert artist.

Painting or drawing: Learning how to paint or draw is a great way to while away the time. Colouring in has also found to be therapeutic - just make sure to colour within the lines!

Cross-stitch: You can pick up beginner kits which make cross stitch much easier and when you’re finished, they can make lovely decorations for your home.

Ceramics: Ever wanted to get behind a pottery wheel and make your own vases, plates or mugs? You don’t even need a wheel – air-drying clay makes creating things much simpler now!

Flower crafts: From drying flowers, to making paper flowers, to creating floral bath oils, there's a bunch of flower crafts available which you can put your hand to, and recycle your old bouquet.

Make your new year's resolution one that encourages you to take the time and master your craft. Plus, as well as giving them as gifts, you can even sell your items online to make some pennies on the side!

3. LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE

Bonjour, Hola, Guten tag…hello. Fancy learning a new language? You can use this new year to develop your linguistics. This can help with your travelling (we know catching a flight may seem like a distant memory, but we will travel again soon – promise) plus it can help keep your brain healthy and it also looks good to employers.

4. PLAN IN DEDICATED “ME TIME”

If the past few years have taught us anything it’s that we need to focus on self-care - for our bodies and minds. One simple yet super effective new year’s resolution idea is to dedicate some time, whether that's every day, every week or every month, to yourself.

This could mean having a bath, uninterrupted relaxation time, treating yourself to a face mask or having dinner made for you. Self-care is really important and encourages you to take a step back from taking care of others and focus on yourself. You can’t help fill up someone else’s cup when yours is empty.

5. READ MORE, WRITE MORE

Ever thought about writing a book? If you have a story to tell then 2024 could be the year to do it. And if you don’t want to write a book, but simply want to read, make it a goal to immerse yourself in stories more.

Just like taking up a hobby, picking up a book has many benefits on the brain (well, not just picking it up; you will need to read it). You can even listen to audiobooks if you’re not a huge fan of reading.

6. UNLEASH YOUR INTERIOR DESIGNER

Ever watched the TV programme 60-minute makeover or any other home renovation programme and thought “I could do that!”? Then this year, make a resolution to get creative with your home. You don’t have to switch up your entire home, but pick certain rooms to change. Learn how to put up coving or stencil fun designs on the tiles of your bathroom floor. Fix that door handle that always gets stuck or change all the light switches to something a little fancier. Nothing beats the satisfaction of a little DIY, plus it gives you the confidence to do things yourself in the future.

7.DIY

That leads us nicely to our next point – this year make it your goal to do a little DIY. One popular new year’s resolution for many people is to 'save money' and one way you can kill two birds with one stone is to DIY some of those home renovation projects you've been looking into. Don't hire a painter and decorator, get your hands dirty with a roller and tray, or set aside time to tackle sanding down those interior doors and re-varnish them. Sure, you'll make some mistakes along the way but you'll also learn some new skills and find a productive way to fill your spare time. Interior Design magazine, here we come.

8. MAKE NEW FRIENDS

Lockdowns and isolation kept family and friends apart, so let’s use this new start to reunite but also expand our social circles. You could reach out to past friends who you’ve lost contact with or you can start new friendships altogether. Social media is a great place to start reaching out to existing friends or you could join a new club in your local area. If you're into your PBs and 5Ks, a running club could be a good start or look out for a craft club where you can learn new skills while meeting like-minded people.

9. BE MORE MINDFUL

This resolution circles back to self-care but involves really focusing on your mind and yourself and those around you. One simple goal is to reduce phone use or social media use, take up yoga, keep a diary, eat better foods, go for a walk and enjoy the scenery. Mindfulness means something different to everyone, but it’s about being healthy to your mind and knowing your limits when it comes to stress and work.

10. LIMIT YOUR SCREEN TIME

Love to play mobile games, scroll through social media, online shop or binge watch TV programmes? While we're big fans of all those things, it's a good idea to consider adding in a resolution around limiting screen time. It doesn’t have to be all the time (don't panic!) but maybe set some rules such as no phones in the bedroom or at the dinner table or no texting during movie nights. Reducing screen times can help you focus on more important things, give your eyes a well-earned rest and improve your sleep too.

11. PLAN A TRIP

Whether you want to organise a trip abroad or a staycation, we can all do with a holiday somewhere after the year we’ve had – so make your new year's resolution to plan one. There’s no time like the present to tick a bucket-list destination or attraction off of the list and having this task down as a resolution gives you the push you may need to actually book those flights, instead of just talking about what you want to do.

13. INVEST IN BETTER SLEEP

Your brain and body will thank you for it – not to mention that it can help you tick off some other new year resolutions here on our list. Try a white noise app to lull you to sleep, some calming pillow spray in a lavender scent and make your bed more appealing by treating yourself to some new duvet sets. There's nothing better than fresh sheets! If you have an iPhone, you can ask it to remind you it's time for bed to encourage you to drag yourself away from that screen and get some zzz's.

HOW TO STICK TO YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

If the 31st of December has arrived and you suddenly realise you didn’t accomplish all of your new year resolutions, know you are not alone. It’s pretty common, but there are some ways to ensure you stick to them.

• Set realistic goals: Sometimes small is better, so if you rarely find time to read, a good goal would be to read five books by the end of the year instead of five a month.
• Only set one resolution: Don’t feel like you need to do everything this year. One win is still a win.
• Don’t delay setting your goals: Time flies. So, set your resolutions early on to give you the most time to complete them
• Write down your plan: Do you want to complete them by the end of the year or do you have a more specific date in mind? Write your plan down and pin it somewhere you will see it throughout the day to keep you on track.