10 New Year's Resolution Ideas to Improve Your Life

The year is almost over, and it's time to look forward to the new year. With the new year comes a fresh start. While it's hard to keep a New Year's resolution throughout the entire year, it's still best to try. While reflecting on the last year, think about all the new experiences waiting for you. What will you put on your New Year's resolutions list? The possibilities are endless. If you're not sure yet or are looking for additional ideas, here are some suggestions that may be just what you want to add:

Improve Your Life with These 10 New Year's Resolutions!

     10. Eat Healthier – Eat Better – Eat Consistently

Too often, we find ourselves hurrying through the day, not realizing that we haven't stopped to eat breakfast or lunch. Food is fuel for the body, and without it, it doesn't take long until we start slowing down.

➡️ New Year's Resolution – Promise yourself that you will eat better, make healthier choices, and eat at the same time every day to provide balance. Set your phone alarms to go off when you are supposed to sit down and eat. Set the alarm to go off one hour ahead of time so that you have time to prepare the food. Go online and find videos and recipes so that you have something new to eat each day or each week. Healthy food leads to a healthy life!

     9. Spend More Time with Family

Another excellent resolution is to spend more time with family. With the pandemic, that may have been challenging this year. The good news is it is easier than ever to spend time together without being in the same room. Your resolution could include utilizing technology like Zoom calls, which work great if you don't live near family or can't see each other. Make it a date you set in your calendar to Zoom meet every Sunday afternoon at 3:00 pm. Bring a snack with you or a meal, and everyone can sit down together and enjoy it.

➡️ New Year's Resolution – Send out an invite to family members for a recurring call on a specific day and time. Make it a point to be there regularly at the same time.

Click here to learn more about how to join Zoom calls with step-by-step instructions. Want more ideas about how to make the most of your Zoom calls? Read about how you can play games on your next Zoom call! 

     8. Write a Memoir

You may not have been thinking about doing this because you feel it seems like it would take too long to write. However, writing a memoir is beneficial to you, your siblings you grew up with, and future generations. Even if you're not sure what you would write about, no life is so dull that you can't recall good memories that others will cherish.

➡️ New Year's Resolution - Purchase a notebook at the store and keep it sitting by your chair that you sit at while drinking your coffee in the mornings. Spend fifteen minutes each day writing down thoughts or simply a memory of your childhood. Before you know it, your book is filling up, and you have just started your memoir.

Learn more about getting started with your memoir - click here!

     7. Brain Training

Keeping your brain sharp takes exercise. It is vital to keep your mind in great shape. Fortunately, brain training can be a fun part of your daily routine! You can practice puzzles or even download apps that train the brain to keep it sharp.

➡️ New Year's Resolution – Download an app on your phone or tablet, like Peak or Elevate. Both of these apps are available for the IOS or Android systems. Once downloaded, play the games one or two times a day for at least ten minutes.

Learn more about brain training apps here!

     6. Exercise

Whether you are in good shape now or not, exercise has to be part of your routine. Even short workouts are significant in helping to maintain healthy weight, muscles, and general wellness.

➡️ New Year's Resolution – Buy a workout app, subscribe to an online workout program, join your local gym, or go for a walk every day. Do whatever you can to stay active within limits.

     5. Learn a New Hobby

If you have always wanted to know how to do something but never took the time to learn, now is your chance! There are so many ways to learn new hobbies. You can even go online and learn many of them today! Learn to play an instrument, try yoga, start drawing, or learn to speak a new language.

➡️ New Year's Resolution – Learn to play the acoustic guitar so that by Christmas 2021, the children can sing your favorite holiday song while you play the guitar for them.

Discover even more hobby ideas you can learn - click here!

     4. Say Goodbye to Bad Habits

Smoking, drinking, or even being negative in your thinking can be a habit. So can eating junk food, driving while distracted, or staying up too late at night. When these habits form, it becomes difficult to get rid of them. Replace your habits with new ones.

➡️ New Year's Resolution - For every negative thought you have, replace it with a positive thought. Instead of drinking coffee in the mornings or having a cigarette, use this time to read or take a walk.

Learn more! Check out our blog post - Improving Every Day: 10 Strategies for Breaking Bad Habits

     3. Turn Your Home Into Your Safe Zone

Over the years, it's easy to end up with clutter that can obstruct the walkway. This clutter may not seem like an issue now, but if you were to fall and break your leg or hip, you would need to be able to get around in your home using a walker, wheelchair, or crutches.

➡️ New Year's Resolution - Spend fifteen minutes a day clearing the pathways of your home and removing one box at a time until you have all the clutter gone. Install bath rails, add additional lighting for hallways that may be dark at night. If you have a basement, be sure you have plenty of light to see the steps. Purchase new smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors throughout your home. If you live alone, consider purchasing an ADT system to monitor your home for any emergency that may arise. You will rest easier knowing all of these safety measures are taken care of, and your family will feel better about it too.

     2. Prepare for the Next Stage, or Adventure, in Your Life

As we age, there comes a time when it's clear that a two-story home is no longer needed. It becomes difficult to heat, dust, and maintain. At the end of the day, the only things anyone needs are a kitchen, living space, bathroom, and bedroom.

➡️ New Year's Resolution – Write down on paper the next stage in your life and how you plan to get there safe, sound, and happy. Think about ways that you can live a happy life and do what it will take to get you there. Stretch your plan out for a year so you won't feel overwhelmed. This could be downsizing or moving to a senior community. Consider your options and determine what is best for you in the coming years to best prepare accordingly.

More content on taking steps toward the next stages in life:

• 5 Ways to Tell if It Is Time to Downsize Your Home
• 10 Tips to Prepare for Downsizing 
• How to Choose? The Ultimate Assisted Living Facility Checklist 
• The 9 Questions to Match You to Your Perfect Senior Living Facility
• The Psychology of Moving to a New Home

     1. Explore New Ways to Be a Part of the Community

Community events and activities are an affordable way to get out and do something with others. If you haven't been involved in community activities, you simply need to pick one to start. They may have square dancing in January and a picnic in the park in June. These are social events that can help you make new friends and memories.

➡️ New Year's Resolution – Start participating in community activities starting in January and attend once a month for the entire year. You'll be surprised how many great people you meet and how different it feels to live in your community!

Let us know in the comments below - what is your New Year's resolution?