10 Simple Resolutions You Can Actually Keep In 2021
By: Anushka Choudhary
Tags: Philosophy, Illumination, New Years Resolutions, Lifestyle, Self Improvement

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Yes, it’s that time of the year again!

From listening to Spotify wrapped or watching archives of Snapchat stories, we are all reflecting on the year gone by. This can be especially disheartening considering that this year many of our plans could not be executed the way we wanted them to. So, it’s natural that we’ll end up making some far-fetched resolutions!

To end this cycle of determination, optimism, failure and disappointment, this year let us do something different. Instead of making resolutions, that we all know won’t even last till February, we should make simple promises to ourselves that we can keep at least till June.

A great idea that I have come up with while making resolutions is to replace the absolutes with improvements. For example, instead of saying that I will quit caffeine consumption, say that you will drink one cup of coffee a day. This way these resolutions will be simpler to keep.

Here is a list of 10 simple New Year resolutions that I have come up with. Feel free to make this your own or add more things to the list.

Eat healthier

Starting with a basic one. This is one resolution that I believe everyone makes at one point or another. But this is an important one. The key to a successful life lies in having a healthy lifestyle. Start by consuming some amount of greens in your daily meals. If you are someone who eats outside a lot, reduce the number by half.

If you are able to include these practices in your routine for a month, they might just become a habit soon. If you want to go a step further, decide on the cups of coffee or tea you want to consume in a day. Or even check on your daily sugar consumption. And before you know it, you will be living a healthier life.

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Start exercising

Exercising does not mean getting a gym membership on January 1st. I guess most of us have been guilty of joining the gym one day when we felt out of shape. And before you even know it, your money has been wasted because you made just two trips to the gym.

So, don’t do that! Start by deciding how much time can you spare for exercising and then work on a simple routine that you will enjoy. Be it 40 minutes of jogging, swimming or cycling, just do something! Also instead of starting with 5 days a week, go for 2–3 days a week and if you are interested then you can increase the number of days.

Take small breaks

Taking breaks actually helps in increasing productivity. If you have an 8-hour work routine, make sure to take a 10-minute break every 2 hours. This will aid in reducing screen time and the stress of work will be relieved. It is also a good way to socialise for some time and refocus.

The concept of small breaks can also be applied on a larger scale. Instead of planning a long vacation at the end of the year, take short weekends off and go out with friends or family. If your finances don't support this, just visit the nearest park for a picnic or go out for a movie. Trust me it will make you so much happier than taking a long break.

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Reduce wasteful expenses

If you are someone who is making enough money or spending wisely, feel free to skip to the next point. For us peasants, this is something we can all work on. When most of us always online, it is not rare to spend a few extra bucks on something which catches our attention but is not really needed!

It’s very easy to stumble upon a beautiful sweatshirt or some knock-off jewellery while scrolling Instagram. And oftentimes, the price seems so reasonable that we end up buying a lot. To cut down these wasteful expenses, a simple trick is to decide on a weekly budget and make sure to adhere to it.

Decrease screen time

As obvious it may sound, most of us find ourselves struggling with this problem. I spend more than 1 hour per day on Instagram and much more on YouTube and other OTT platforms. I am certainly not proud of this, but there is very little that I have changed in this regard.

A simple solution is to set a reminder after a certain threshold. Another trick I had read was to weekly change the position of icons on your mobile screen so that you cannot habitually click on a particular app. Other ways can be to put your phone away while indulging in household activities. Unmistakably, none of these is an absolute solution, but they can be a good start.

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Watch good content

It’s a guilty pleasure of a lot of people(myself included) to watch trash content to mock it or to pass time. And as harmless as it may seem, it can lead to jamming your mind with unwanted thoughts and reduce your overall productivity.

Instead, try to watch content which is decent or has some kind of positive impact on your life. Save the cheap thrills for some crazy drunken weekend and don't make it a regular habit that constantly occupies your mind.

Spend time with yourself

It is very easy to get lost in the daily hustle and forget to live for yourself. But it is never too late to change detrimental habits. Don't wait for your retirement to take take a trip or learn something which you always wanted. Do that right now because you never know what the future holds for you.

At least once or twice a week, find time for something which you enjoy and do that without guilt. Don’t worry if it is a weird thing to do, just do it for yourself. This way you will feel more connected to your inner self and will actually enjoy doing things for others as well.

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Make time for hobbies

This is an extension of the previous point. Hobbies can evolve as the years' past, but don't completely give up on your hobbies. If all you do is work and sleep, life will become monotonous and after a point, you will start hating your career.

To avoid this, have something that interests you other than your work. And if you think that there is no place for your hobbies in your busy life, try to learn a new skill. If you learn something which might be useful in your career, later on, you will do that guilt-free and it will still be a distraction from work.

Try something new

A year has 12 months, 365 days, 8760 hours and 525600 minutes. That is to say that we have a lot of time in one year! So, there should be something new that we do every year. Be it striking something off from your bucket list or doing something absolutely unexpected, just do something new.

If at the end of the year you can think of even a few things which separated this year from all previous years, you will be 10 times happier. We remember our past in the form of significant events such as the year I graduated or the year we went to Paris or some other milestone. So, don't wait for milestones to be created, create them yourself!

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Don't be afraid

Lastly, don't be afraid if you are unable to follow your perfect plan. Just remember everyone falters and everyone fails, but what is important is the desire to try again. If your plan does not work, make a new plan. Don’t just give up or be afraid to try something new or unconventional.

If everyone followed the same set of rules, we would all have the exact same life. But that is not the case. So, why should we be worried if someone’s life looks better than ours?