New Year’s resolutions are often doomed to fail. For a long time, that was the case for me too. But it all changed when I started approaching my resolutions differently. My strategy to defeat the devil on my shoulder? Putting obstacles in his way.
The fact my New Year’s resolutions have become more than just pipe dreams is down to a specific method that works for me. Maybe it’ll work for you too. The aim of the game? To dupe both yourself and the devil on your shoulder.
The yoga routine you can’t avoid
If you’re looking for a yoga mat, the shop has you covered. How about trying a cork one that feels comfortable under your hands and feet?
Flossing, saving money and a social media detox
If this resonates with you, go ahead and browse our piggy banks.
Save money, do more exercise, eat healthier. If any of this sounds familiar, then you’ve probably made a quintessential New Year’s resolution. This is underlined by the latest survey data for 2024. According to Statista (website in German), every single one of these goals made it into the top 10 New Year’s resolutions for 2024. No surprise there.
While many people shun New Year’s resolutions, I’m more of a «New Year, New Me» type. One of those people who goes into every January thinking, «From here on out, everything’s going to change.» Part of this, of course, is making good New Year’s resolutions. In the past, I’d either abandon them in stereotypical fashion a couple of weeks in, or simply forget about them. Nowadays, the resolutions I used to stick to until February at the latest have become the vehicle for potentially permanent change. Beneficial change that I sometimes even feel quite proud of.
I kicked this off at the end of 2022 with the resolution to do some yoga every morning. My strategy? Leaving my yoga mat on the floor after each session. It’s now permanently parked between my bed and the bedroom door. If that sounds disorderly and obtrusive, it’s because it is. But it’s also immensely helpful. While it may taunt my inner neat freak during the day, it also helps me be consistent with my morning yoga sessions. To skip one, I’d have to consciously step over the mat to leave my bedroom. Sure, I’m occasionally forced to do exactly that. Like when I’ve overslept or when I wake up and realise I need to take my cat to the vet. But sure enough, the mat’s still there in the evening when I go to bed.
As a result, with the odd exception, I’ve managed to integrate a daily appointment with renowned yoga teacher Mady Morrison into my morning routine. Perhaps you’d like to belatedly join her 31-day yoga challenge for 2024 (website in German). After all, January’s not over yet. The challenge provides you with daily YouTube videos to follow until the end of the month, including this 15-minute routine. It’s supposed to give you strength and joie de vivre. There are worse ways to start the day, right?
Of course, the will to change has to be there too. Otherwise, even a yoga mat blocking the way out of your bedroom won’t help. For me, this little reminder method has worked so well that I’ve transferred it to other habits too. Take dental hygiene, for example. Another of my resolutions is to floss daily. To help me stick to it, I put my dental floss on top of my toothbrush holder. That way, I need to pick up the floss first in order to get to my toothbrush and toothpaste. If I’ve got the floss in my hand, I use it. After all, you’re supposed to floss before you brush (website in German). See? The principle behind the habit is dead simple.
I floss before I brush. Source: Maike Jensen
It’s a similar story when it comes to money. Whether you’re saving for a specific goal like a fabulous holiday or just want to put something aside for your next car repair, you could go down the traditional piggy bank route. All you have to do is glue the bottom lid shut with superglue. That way, money can go into the slot at the top, but isn’t so easy to retrieve from the bottom. You’d either have to smash it open or forcibly pry the lid off – things you’d probably think twice about before misappropriating your savings for a quick thrill.
Setting up these obstacles for myself works for changes I resolve to make mid-year too. A few weeks back, I, like many others before me, decided to cut down my social media use in favour of reading more. And just like so many others, I began dutifully ignoring the plan after day two. Instead of getting into bed and grabbing a book, I’d spend the evening scrolling through Instagram. So I took action by automatically setting flight mode to go on at 9 p.m. every day, cutting off my smartphone’s internet access. That way, I’m guaranteed a couple of extra hours to devote to books before I go to sleep. Flight mode then automatically turns back off early in the morning. If you fancy trying this out for yourself, you can automate flight mode via your iPhone’s Shortcuts menu.
Just go to Shortcuts... Source: Maike Jensen
...to set flight mode to come on automatically during your preferred time frame. Source: Maike Jensen
Don’t worry, this will only feel like torture until your resolutions have turned into habits. Experts say this takes about two months. During a British study conducted by psychologist Phillippa Lally, 96 participants took around 66 days to turn a resolution into a routine, be it a daily walk or a new eating habit. Subsequently, the result became known as the 66-day rule. After the 66 days are up, force of habit helps you permanently integrate your New Year’s resolution into your life. Meanwhile, taping up your piggy bank or keeping your yoga mat in front of the bed as a reminder work as a safety net.
Yes, I’ve got a New Year’s resolution for 2024 ready to be turned into a habit: to eat healthier. Something I find especially difficult on the two or three occasions a week that I see my girlfriends. When we get together, it’s not uncommon for a little food baby to be conceived, taking up space in my belly even the following day. Our clique of four have now decided to replace sweet and salty snacks with vegetable sticks and dips and swap booze for non-alcoholic alternatives. In this case, the obstacle standing in the way of temptation is peer pressure. Who knows whether we’ll be able to keep it up. We’re bound to cheat a little or even hit a setback. Still, I’m happy to report that we’ve already had two tomato-and-cucumber-filled get-togethers. And that fills me with optimism in taking on 2024 – and the devil on my shoulder.
