We are already 1/24 of the way through 2024 — isn’t that fun? Despite having been through only 18 days of the year, I bet most of you have already ditched your New Year’s resolutions. If you have not yet, don’t worry, you will. According to Forbes, only 6% of people stick with their resolutions throughout the year, while 44% of people tend to give up their goals within the first two to three months.
I understand the idea of “New Year, New Me.” I just think many go about the process incorrectly. Most set vague goals that don’t necessarily have a set ending such as “I want to go to the gym more” or “I want to eat better,” which will more than likely end up failing due to not setting a habit that is easy to measure and track.
A much better resolution would be “I want to go to the gym five times a week” or “I want to eat a salad as one of my main meals” because those resolutions detail how to measure the objective, which makes it much easier to stay motivated compared to those that don’t clearly state an objective.
My biggest resolution this year is to cut out fast food, which may not seem hard at first, but with my eating habits, it feels daunting to say the least. How am I supposed to go from devouring Wendy’s burgers on the daily to cutting out fast food as a whole? It may help that Wendy’s inflated the price of its Biggie Bag again, but that resolution seems impossible due to my constant eating of it. That’s why I’m not cutting out fast food entirely.
My actual resolution is to only indulge in fast food once every two weeks. It sets a clear goal for me to achieve, and it gets me looking forward to a little holiday I made for myself.
If you made a resolution that feels impossible to accomplish this year, alter it. Make room to still get enjoyment out of the guilty pleasure you’re cutting out but at a much less frequent rate.
The same rules apply to going to the gym five times a week. If you can’t see yourself partaking in that endeavor, then go to the gym three times a week and replace the other two days with walking or biking — as long as you’re getting exercise.
One final solution I have that could help you achieve your resolution is to have more than one. I won’t judge you if you do, in fact, I’d encourage it. Why would anyone want to change themselves in just one way over the span of a year? Plus, completing parts of a few resolutions is a lot more manageable than completing one resolution completely.
New Year’s resolutions have the potential to genuinely change lives by sparking great habits within people. It shouldn’t be used as a way to drastically upend one’s life in a day, like going from not working out at all to working out five days a week. It’s all about moderation and pacing yourself to feel excited about completing your resolution rather than treating it as a chore.
Quinn Elfers is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to share your thoughts about the column? Let Quinn know by emailing him at me989022@ohio.edu.
