Alternatives to New Year's resolutions
How I spent Christmas morning. This was all freeform reflection about 2019 with no idea what the outcome would look like. I looked at places I visited, lessons I learned, reflected on my word of 2019 and what I want out of 2020. No over-thinking.
In the calm between Christmas and New Year’s I’ve found I’ve enjoyed the time to be quiet and reflect. This year I decided to doodle my 2019 highlights which was a good way to really see how much I did accomplish this past year.
Looking back became a healthy way for me to look forward. I’m the first to lose sight of all the good things and let the negative stuff boil up (and hello, comparison trap!). It became a rewarding exercise for me. 2019 was the year I felt like everyone was trying to sell me the answer, but I learned the true way forward is to dig into yourself.
It reminded me of the list I started to collect last year of how different people approach the New Year. Rest assured there’s no right or wrong way to approach goals, but the thing I’ve found is that it’s not always the loftiest goals that set you up for success. Focusing on one small thing can often have the biggest reverberations.
I wanted to put this post together to assure you there are many approaches to life. You can also pick and chose the tools that resonate with you. I also give you full permission to experiment with something new—whether it be this year or in the future.
Resolutions put a lot of pressure on you to change. I also find they tend to be very rooted in society's goals [for you] over your goals for yourself. Resolutions are easy to fall off track, and don’t serve you to get back on.
Below are some ways that different people—artists, coaches, entrepreneurs—approach heading into the New Year. (And if you’re landing on this post during a different time of the year, here’s permission to start any time!).
WORD (or theme) OF THE YEAR.
I did not come with this but coming up with a word or theme of the year is something I’ve been practicing for over 10 years (some years more intentionally than others). I think “talk to strangers” was one of my favorites as it gave me permission to get outside of myself. 2019 my word was LAUNCH (reflections on that coming soon, with an announcement of 2020). I know some people use 3 words instead of one.
VISION BOARDS
2019 was the first year I created a vision board (here’s a how to!). I was very skeptical going into it, but it was a very good exercise in the end. We did it as an activity in my Mastermind group. It's funny because mine became almost all words.
THE LIST
Last year was the year that I discovered that every year Barack Obama puts together a list of the year. It includes his favorite music, books, and more. It's an interesting way to look back and see what resonated with you. I did it for 2018, and 2019 is coming soon.
MORE/LESS LIST
Julia Rothman is an American illustrator. Last year she posted her MORE / LESS list on Instagram. While she isn't the first person to do this, she's the first person I saw share it. It's a simple list of words/ideas she wants more of, and less of in her life. She then hangs it on the wall near her desk where she can see it every day. (It's also a tool I've adapted with many of my coaching clients regardless of what time of the year it is because I find it a simple way to find clarity, and there are no rules saying you can't update as you gain new insights.)
STOP DOING LIST
Some of the best resolutions may be about doing less, not more. Jocelyn Glei shares the "Stop doing list" for 99u. In another article she writes about the simple process of reflect, select, remove.
PAST YEAR REVIEW
Tim Ferris may be best known for his book The Four Hour Work Week, but his entrepreneurial routes are strong. He's looks back to positive and negative aspects of the past year in order to uncover where he should spend more time in the year ahead, and what he shouldn’t do moving forward.
ANNUAL REVIEW
Entrepreneur and best selling author Chris Guillebeau conducts his own annual review every year. He creates a plan of action based on what matters to him, focusing on measurable and specific goals rather than vague ideas. He also comes up with a theme for the year and a one paragraph statement.
YEAR IN REVIEW
Marie Forleo is a big name in business and author of the new book Everything is Figureoutable. Every year she does a year in the review where she asks the questions:
What’s one thing you did that you’re proud of?
What’s one mistake you made and the lesson you learned?
What’s one limiting story you’re ready to let go of before the New Year?
This year she explores a decade in review.
This is all a reminder there's not one way of doing things, nor is there one right way. You can pick and chose what feels right to you. Just compiling this list a few of them were anxiety inducing just writing about them. I give you full permission to keep things simple and have a little fun too! ✨
I know there’s SO much I’m forgetting, but these were some of my top of mind highlights for 2019 during one of my reflection sessions at a French café.
P.S. I put together my “2019 List” (inspired by Barack Obama) over on PAV!
P.SS. If you are looking for support during your journey, I offer 1:1 coaching. I also write a weekly newsletter exploring ideas from different directions called Connect the Dots.