Feasible New Year's Resolutions
by Ananya Panchal
photo by Aqsa Momin
I know you woke up on January 1 after your chill night in, your rough night out, or your perfect in-between and your mom called you to wish youa happy new year and then asked what your New Year’s Resolutions were. I also know you came up with some quick on the spot BS that you have already broken.
I believe in change, progress and self-growth, but, that being said I DO NOT believe in New Year's Resolutions. We should be able to improve ourselves at any point during the year and not only for some momentous occasion.
Thus, we are not going to call this following 10 items a list of New Year's Resolutions, but rather some simple life changes you can easily make to increase your quality of life and to have a better year.
So here it is: 10 feasible resolutions to making 2020 YOUR year
Perfect one dish. Whether it be the perfect lasagna, bacon and cheese omelet, baked chicken panini or something as simple as avocado toast, give yourself a reason to get cooking! Not only is it fun and can be therapeutic, but it’ll also save you some money. Let your friends indulge in their new favorite chef’s perfect homemade treat!
Give yourself a 48-hour window to respond to all emails. I know we are all guilty of seeing an email in our inbox, reading it and making a mental note to reply later tonight, or tomorrow morning, or this weekend, or the black hole term “later.” That never happens and then one day a month later you are in the shower and dark cloud of thought pops in your head that you never responded to Peggy’s email and now it’s just far too late and so you will forever be stressed about it. Just do it. Just reply within 48 hours; it will make your life infinitely less stressful.
Take the stairs. That’s it. That’s the goal. Easy.
Buy a plant. Keep it alive.
Clean out your closet. Donate clothes that a) you don't need b) don't fit you or c) you simply do not wear.
Write yourself a letter. Just one letter. Just one page. Open it a year from now.
Keep up with current events. Read the news. I might have some personal bias on this one but support your local newspaper! Give yourself the confidence you need to walk into any conversation with knowledge and perspective. Take this one step at a time. One headline at a time. One breaking news story at a time. Trust me, your social anxiety will thank you.
More tea, less coffee. (Or some variation of this).
Smell good. It’s simple! Whether this means buying a new candle, finally finding your signature fragrance or just taking one bubble bath a week, smelling good means feeling good. Well, maybe that’s a stretch, but smelling good does mean compliments and compliments do mean feeling good.
Do the NYT mini crossword puzzle every day. It’s so fun, it takes less than five minutes and most importantly, it’s free.
Even if you are not able to stick with all or any of these for the whole year, just try. They are simple and most of them don’t even cost you a penny. 2020 still has more than 300 days left, make the best of them. It’s never too late to be better.