New Year, Same Everything? Combatting Resolution Fatigue

One month down, 11 to go. Is 2024 bringing you closer to your goals?

This week I’m giving readers the gift I need myself: a check-in and reflection to mark the end of the first month of 2024.

As you already know, I love the concept of the new year. I love the resolutions. I love the possibilities. I love that dang bottle-popping, dancing-the-night-away New Year energy. And I’d love to find a way to make it last all year long.

Me in the neighborhood, living my New Year dreams.

But, alas, I tend to lose steam sometime around March. Sound familiar?

This post is about combatting resolution fatigue (or, in some cases, resolution forgetfulness) and renewing the commitments we make to ourselves.

In the classroom, we talk about making SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound). What this means for kids is something akin to, “I will know my 6 times tables by the end of March” (which, trust me, requires a great deal of revision from its earliest form, “I want to get better at math.”)

Adult goals also tend to be more successful when they meet the parameters of SMART. Or when they’re simple enough to become habitual. This year I committed to touching the page every day. For me, that means establishing a daily point of connection with my writing projects. Whether it’s re-reading something I already wrote or adding a few hundred new words, any contact is more likely to energize a project than none. My honest grade for January? A generous B+.