Why do people make new year resolutions?
As each year comes to an end, we start to reflect on our past actions and consider the things we could have done differently in order to ensure that our lives are better. As a result, we may regret not doing certain things that might have improved our lives or doing certain things that prevented us from excelling in life. Most of us believe that the New Year is a fresh start and therefore, we make New Year's resolutions to console ourselves that in the coming year we will be the best versions of ourselves and we will rectify the mistakes that we made the previous year so that we are able to enhance the quality of our lives.
4 reasons New Year resolutions do not work
Not created based on values
Most of us set goals based on what we think we should do due to societal pressure or peer pressure. For example, we think that we should do volunteer work during our free time and therefore, we will set that as a resolution for ourselves. However, doing volunteer work is not something that aligns with our values, instead our value is to work towards maintaining a fit and healthy body during our spare time. Since most of us are unable to define the goals we truly want to attain, New Year resolutions are ineffective.
Environment
Our surroundings have a big impact on our ability to achieve the goal we set as it might indirectly be in conflict with our environment. For example, the goal we set is to reduce our monthly expenditure. However, our colleagues always choose to eat at high-end restaurants which are costly during lunch and if we do not join them we will miss out on the chance to interact with them which may lead to us feeling left out. In order to avoid that, we will choose to follow our coworkers to eat lunch at the expensive restaurant and this leads to us being unable to reach the goal.
A Journey not a Destination
Being able to reach a goal requires a long time as we progress in life slowly. For example if our goal is to get better grades for the upcoming exam or to get a promotion at our workplace, we will have to study consistently or perform well at work consistently for a few months. We might not do as well as we expected for the final exam or we might not get a promotion that year but that does not mean our performances are not improving and we will never get good grades or a promotion. Therefore, New Year's resolution is a journey not a destination that we are reaching.
Having unrealistic goals
Resolutions might not work due to us being unable to set realistic goals. Some of us tend to compare ourselves with our friends and colleagues on a daily basis and therefore, we end up setting unrealistic goals for ourselves. For example, a young professional might consider buying a condominium because they have been looking at their relatives' or friends' lifestyle via social media platforms. However a monthly salary of 2k to 3k is not sufficient to purchase such luxury housing. Therefore, it is essential to set achievable goals.
What are some ways we can make sure it works?
Focusing on a specific resolution
The resolutions that we set for ourselves each new year are in a competition with each other for our time and attention since we are only able to focus on one goal at a time. Most of us try to achieve all the goals we set for ourselves at the same time and this causes us to divide our attention between them hence we are unable to concentrate fully on any of the goals. This leads to us losing the motivation to follow through with our resolutions. To prevent this, we should concentrate on the most important goal and work toward it on a regular basis.
Re-motivating ourselves
When the new year starts we are the most motivated to ensure that we are working towards our goal. However, after a few months of consistent working towards our goal, we lose the drive to continue and in order to avoid that, we should always remind ourselves the reason why we wanted to achieve the goal in the first place. This constant reminder will help to keep us motivated until we reach our target.
Environment and Resolutions Alignment
When we set a goal for ourselves, we must evaluate how our surroundings will affect our ability to achieve that goal. For example, if our resolution is to cut down on expenses and our co-workers prefer eating at high end places, we should not make it a goal to cut down on food expenses. Instead we should look for other areas such as shopping and transport to reduce our expenditure on. This way we will be able to fulfill our goal.
Making a detailed plan
The best way to ensure that we are able to reach our targeted goal is to make a detailed plan on the things that we will do to achieve it. For example, the goal we set is to read 1 book per month. In order to fulfill that, we will need to figure out how many pages of the book we will need to read each day to complete it within a month, as well as the time of day and how long we will be reading it. This way it will be easier to follow through with the resolution and reach our goal.
What can be your new year resolution
In recent years, using technology has become the most predominant method of working and studying and since the start of covid-19, maintaining a healthy body has become more difficult than ever as we have to spend most of our time working or studying from home. This results in us sitting for prolonged hours and staring at screens which eventually affects our overall health. As we are entering the third year with covid-19, the most important goal we should all have is to ensure that we are able to maintain a healthy body. To avoid the negative effects of sitting for prolonged hours, here are a few tips you can follow to reach your New year resolution of maintaining a healthy body.
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Ensure your eye level is aligned with the screen.
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Your arms should be aligned with the table height
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Your knee should be perpendicular to the floor
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Stretch every 2 hours
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Give your eyes regular breaks
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Your shoulder and hip must be aligned
Following these tips will allow you to have an improved blood circulation, good posture and eliminate back and neck pains.
In order to ensure that you are able to fulfill your New Year resolution, you should invest in an ergonomically designed chair. With an ergonomic chair you will be able to use the Height Adjustable Feature, 4D Adjustable Armrest and Full-Length Backrest Recline to ensure that your eye level and your screen level are aligned, your arms are aligned with the table height and you are able to stretch every 2 hours without having to stand up, respectively. Additionally, ergonomic chairs are provides maximum comfort and are designed to help you maintain the natural curve of your spine therefore, you will be able to maintain the correct body posture even after sitting all day.
On top of that, to upgrade your sitting experience you may consider using a Premium Footrest and a Premium Lumbar Pillow. These will help you to prevent leg cramps and provide your back with additional support, respectively.