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Routine is the New Resolution
How to plan for the New Year and succeed.
Almost 80% of people abandon their New Year’s resolutions by February each year. Yet that’s not to say that most people just give up. There are perfectly valid, psychologically-proven reasons why so many new year’s resolutions fail—and fail soon after the new year starts.
So let’s uncover the psychology behind the common failures and present the best new year resolution ideas to help you succeed in 2023.
Spoiler alert: we ditch resolutions for routines. 😉
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Why is it hard to keep New Year’s resolutions?
There are many reasons why New Year’s resolutions don’t stick. But the most common reasons for abandoning a New Year’s resolution are:
Unrealistic goals
Psychologists and academics say that unrealistic goals are the main reason people abandon their New Year’s resolutions.
“Holiday intentions are hollow intentions,” says psychologist Dr. Joseph Luciani. “We go from a gung-ho attitude to ‘this is too hard,’” Luciani adds—citing the irony in the timing of the feel-good holiday season with the high demands we then set for ourselves come January 1st.
Challenging objectives lead to overwhelming expectations that quickly become unreachable. This logic explains resolutions’ 80% failure rate just four weeks into the new year.
🔑 Opportunity for Success: Set manageable New Year’s resolutions that involve doing more or less of something—incremental change through routine—instead of a cold, hard elimination (or start) of something in your life.
Not tracking progress
Tracking progress contributes to success in any realm. It’s the only way to know whether what you’re doing (or not doing) is working. Plus, this logical approach can inform whether you keep up the good work or pivot.
Tracking progress is your compass. Without it, you’ll be lost and discouraged. Don’t become a high-failure rate statistic. Instead, track your wins and document your progress.
🔑 Opportunity for Success : Journal your small wins. When you track even the smallest of victories, you’ll feel more optimistic about achieving your New Year’s resolutions in the long run. Plus, you hold yourself accountable.
Consider making a daily to-do list and reviewing them at the end of each day. This routine is a great way to approach your New Year’s resolution mindfully while managing your expectations, creating consistency, and motivating yourself to keep going.
Poor planning
The euphoria of the holidays can make our new year’s goals a fantasy versus a well-thought-through plan of achievement. Make no mistake: nothing is impossible, but failure to plan is simply planning to fail.
🔑 Opportunity for Success: Break your New Year’s resolutions into smaller, actionable chunks. Then, share your progress with supportive friends and family. This routine will help you see real-time improvement and motivate you to continue pushing forward.
How to make and keep New Year’s resolutions
The key to making and keeping a New Year resolve is to ditch the idea of drastic change. After all, slow and steady wins the race. This means:
Choose an achievable resolution
The easiest new year’s resolutions to stick to are those that you feel passionately about and will add value to your health, life, and wellness. The best top 5 New Year’s resolution ideas for 2023 include:
1. Practicing mindfulness
2. Learning a new skill
3. Saving more money
4. Spending more time with loved ones
5. Reading more books
Plan ahead
Planning is the best way to set yourself up for success. Establish a plan of action that breaks your long-term resolution into smaller and more manageable tasks and goals; you’ll see your progress in real-time and feel more motivated to keep going all year through.
Visualize success
Tap into the emotion and joy of your success through visualization techniques. What does it feel like as you’ve already accomplished your goal? Consider a vision board exercise to make it a fun day activity, or if you’re short on time, consider a 10-minute meditation to visualize your goal—set the intention.
You might even consider writing a letter to your future self:
@spokenflames Dear 2023 #mindset #motivation #selfgrowth #mindsetmotivation #romanticizeyourlife #fyp #spokenflamescandles ♬ original sound - EQUA drinkware
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Form a routine
No matter your New Year’s resolution, routine is the key to achieving your goals. Routines ground you, granting you the stability of habit and repetition – ensuring you’re working towards your goals daily.
Routine creates incremental change.
Instead of expecting a change to happen overnight (or after the ball drops), develop a routine that involves achieving small, manageable goals that contribute to a long-term plan.
Journaling or goal tracking is a great way to bring mindfulness and motivation to your life, encouraging you to continue working hard towards your New Year’s resolution every day of the year.
Eating a light, refreshing breakfast, lighting a motivating candle before work or study, or going for a daily walk are more new year’s resolution ideas that are just routine adjustments that will help you honor and achieve your goals in the new year.
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Routine is the New Resolution
The best New Year resolutions are realistic, manageable, and planned. From opting to make more health-conscious decisions to practicing mindfulness more frequently, routine and preparation is the key to developing a New Year’s resolution that lasts throughout 2023 and beyond.
New Year’s Resolution FAQ
What is a new year’s resolution?
The meaning of a New Year resolution is to make a firm decision to do or refrain from doing something over the coming year.
New Year’s resolutions are often commitments to continue good practices, eliminate undesired behaviors and accomplish personal goals. Popular New Year’s resolution examples include quitting smoking, joining the gym, and eating a healthier, balanced diet.
How often do New Year’s resolutions fail?
Of the 45% of Americans that make New Year’s resolutions, approximately 80% of these fail by February, and only 8% of these resolutions are kept for the whole year.
6. Candles can help increase focus in a work from home environment
The rise in WFH and remote work means our workspaces are full of comforts—and distractions. But why would anyone light a candle at their work desk? To keep those distractions at bay. From chatty co-workers (albeit via Slack) to social media, candles are a thoughtful corporate gift that can help us focus and create space for us to do our best work.
Consider it a productivity hack. 💡
The presence of a candle flame can set a calming mood. Wooden wick candles in particular have a unique soft-crackling sound, which can serve as natural and relaxing ambient sound in one’s space. Plus, select scent profiles, like citrus, woody or a floral scent of a scented candle can influence physiological responses that help keep the mind on track.
7. Candles can be an environmentally responsible gift choice
First, it‘s a candle, next it’s their favorite whiskey glass. 🥃
Depending on the candle’s vessel, most candle jars can be upcycled after the burn cycle of the candle. It can be used as storage, glassware and more, so you can feel good knowing that your gift will keep on giving! And your candle gift (once upcycled) can be a pleasant reminder, if not a conversation piece in their home, of your thoughtfulness.
A candle gift set solves my gifting needs—but wait! I don’t know what candle scent they may like 😟
Bonus tip: How to pick a candle scent for a gift
So a candle gift set meets your needs, but you’re not sure what scents they like 😟 Pro tip: consider an unscented candle or a gift set that offers a variety of scents.
The unique thing about Spoken Flames’ Trio Sets is that each candle gift set has a variety of scents with great range—from woody, citrus and floral in our F, Yes Collection, for example.
Your gift recipient would never get bored, and it increases your chances for satisfaction with a broad range of scents in their hands.
Because Spoken Flames candles are message-driven, our motivating candle statements (even without scent) mean that you’ll still win big with this meaningful gifting choice!
What are the top new year’s resolutions for 2023?
The best New Year’s resolution ideas for 2023 are those that easily fit into an existing routine and are planned for in advance of the New Year. Our three favorite New Year’s resolutions examples for 2023 are:
1. Learning a new skill
2. Being more mindful
3. Spending more time with loved ones
How do I keep a New Year’s resolution?
Improve your odds of keeping your new year’s resolution by starting or adjusting your routine instead of opting for drastic changes. Track your progress and celebrate your small wins.
Best Candles for a New Year Routine
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