The top New Year’s resolutions most likely to be broken
For many of us, the arrival of a new year brings a desire to improve, change and evolve. While may have every intention of keeping our resolutions for the next 365 days, the truth of the matter is by the time February rolls around, a fair portion of the aspiring self-renovators have already fallen off the wagon.
But that’s fine. Honestly, it is. No one should feel guilty about not running a mile a day for 52 straight weeks. If you’re like us and haven’t quite kept up your new habit, we’ve scoured the world wide web to compile a list of the top 10 most commonly broken New Year’s resolutions.
10. Travel to new places
This one is completely understandable. Travelling involves plenty of external factors, including having enough time and money to actually do it. If this is a resolution you’ve broken, perhaps simplify it and make a concerted effort to explore more of what your own local area has to offer.
9. Volunteer
If you are able to, volunteering is a wonderful thing to do. We love it so much, we suggested a new national holiday to celebrate it: Voluntine’s Day {LINK TO V02}. That being said, committing to giving up your time on a regular basis can be tricky; not everyone has the spare time needed to devote to it. One alternative could be to give to a charity instead using the Toucan app, so even if you can’t volunteer directly, you can still make a positive impact.
8. Spend more time with family
Trying to see more of your loved ones is certainly a noble resolution, especially after we have all felt the impact of the COVID-19 restrictions that kept us isolated from those we care about. However, nobody should put too much pressure on themselves to organise time with others – it’s about finding a healthy balance. Don’t feel guilty about not video calling your relatives every week; let yourself have some adventures, and you’ll have more to talk about next time you speak!
7. Sleep more
In our experience, the more you try to sleep, the harder it is, so this one might be a pretty difficult one to pull off. Of course, you can try to go to bed earlier or develop a more mindful evening routine, but the chances are life (or more likely, our phones) will get in the way. Sleep is valuable and you should always try to get 7 to 9 hours is possible, but if you don’t manage to reach the advised quota, try not to stress – this will just make it even more tricky to nod off.
6. Reduce stress
Speaking of stress, ‘reducing’ it from your life is a commonly broken New Year’s resolution. That’s largely down to the fact that it often isn’t that simple to eliminate. Stress can be induced by a variety of things and you may need to make some pretty fundamental changes in your life to lower your stress levels. If you do want to introduce more calm into your existence, taking up meditation or yoga is a more practical first step.
5. Learn something new
Unlike the others, it’s quite surprising to see this one is so commonly broken. Why? Because it’s incredibly vague. Surely adding a fresh word to your vocabulary counts as learning something new. Maybe people are just holding themselves to higher standards than we are.
4. Save money
Amid rising house bills, cutting our costs is on the minds of most us at the moment. Although it might seem plausible when laid out in a spreadsheet, it can be hard to predict everything as there always unexpected outgoings you can’t account for. If you do splurge in a sale or find yourself with a hefty car repair bill, cut yourself some slack. Saving money is a marathon, not a sprint.
3. Drink less
Have you ever attempted Dry January? Have you maybe even intended to keep it up for longer? A lot of us are keen to reset after the festive period, where we may have enjoyed alcohol to excess. Not all of us choose to go completely cold turkey; reducing alcohol consumption is one of the more popular resolutions, but it is also one of the most commonly broken (classic Brits).
2. Eat healthier
Keto, Atkins, DASH. It seems every week there’s a new diet trend sweeping the nation – or at least, our Instagram feeds. While they may be popular, the extremes of dieting can actually be quite dangerous. If you want to lose weight, you will have more success if you do so in a healthy fashion. Eat a balanced diet to provide your body with the energy it requires, while getting the exercise you need to be calorie deficient.
1. Exercise more
No surprise here. We’ve all seen the memes suggesting gyms are packed on January 1st, only to have a lone tumbleweed less than a week later. Exercise can be brilliant, but you have to approach it realistically. If you want to be more active, set manageable targets and try to slowly ramp up the frequency and intensity. Perhaps if more people took that approach it wouldn’t be the most broken New Year’s resolution.
If you’ve failed to stick with any of the above, or didn’t have a resolution in the first place, don’t give up! Why not try one that is low effort, easy to maintain and has a positive impact? The Toucan app allows you to donate monthly to causes that matter to you in a hassle-free, fun and flexible way. The power to be a hero is in your hands, so go show the world what you stand for.
