Thinking about New Year’s Resolutions for 2022

This essay originally appeared in the Monday morning newsletter on 12/27/21.

Some people love them, some people despise them, but personally, I can’t resist a good New Year’s resolution.

I know there’s nothing special about Jan. 1. Things don’t automatically get better and slates don’t get magically wiped clean when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve.

You could start a new resolution today… or a month from today… or not at all.

But I love a fresh start (hello, Monday morning newsletter!). And I’m drawn to the feeling of hope that’s usually tied up in a resolution.

But I have to admit… I’m struggling with the concept a bit this year. Maybe it’s Omicron or uncertainty about 2022 in general or coming off a couple of busy weeks at week, but when I think about resolutions for next year, I’m coming up blank. I’m thinking I need to approach the whole thing a little differently this year.

I read an article earlier this month that I haven’t been able to get out of my idea. It talked about our inclination to always be “working” on something – working on ourselves, working on our performance at work, working on a hobby – and how that can just get quite exhausting. Of course, there are always going to be things in life that require hard work, but the “reflexive urge to make everything into work can leave us vulnerable to burnout and leave us with less energy for the things we really want to do in life.” Yep!

As the author of the article so simply put it, what if it could be easy…? Not easy in the sense of dropping standards or settling for less, but “trading control for presence,” reserving energy for those bigger things, and acknowledging that “ease” doesn’t mean lazy or less than.

It’s an idea so simple I had to read the article twice to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Now, this “how could this be easier?” question has started popping up in my mind as I go throughout my day.

So, when I realized I just don’t know if I have the energy or desire to make a list of resolutions this year, I asked myself, “what would the easy path look like?”

Of course, just not making resolutions altogether would be a perfectly acceptable option. But as I thought about it more, I realized what I like about New Year’s resolutions is not necessarily the defined resolution I end up with, but rather, I cherish the experience of taking a moment to reflect on this past year and think about some of the things I hope to experience next year. I love the sense of direction the reflection provides. I feel like when I’m armed with this direction, I’m more likely to recognize or seize related opportunities as they present themselves throughout the next year. I feel more intentional.  

With this helpful insight, I decided on three easy ways I’m thinking about New Year’s resolutions this week. None of them will require much energy or produce strictly defined aims for the year (fine with me), but instead they’ll be fun to do (at least I think so) and provide that general sense of direction I’m craving for 2022. Sharing them here this morning in case one of the below resonates with you too!

Three Reflections for the Start of a New Year: 

Making a 22 in 2022 List
I picked up this idea at the end of 2019, and it is one of my favorite annual traditions. It comes from author Gretchen Rubin and essentially, it’s just a list of things you want to accomplish by the end of the year… a “bucket list” if you will. I made a list of 20 things in 2020 and 21 things in 2021.  As Gretchen writes (and I wholeheartedly agree), “somehow, this approach makes it more pleasant to think about what we want for the new year—it feels more hopeful and helpful.”

I think, especially this year, this will be a great way for me to get the ball rolling on thinking about some of the things I want to do next year. I haven’t started to think about my 2022 list yet, but my plan this week is to do a final review of my 2021 list (reflection!) to survey what I completed and decide what I want to roll over to next year. Then, I’ll start a list on my phone and add to it as inspiration strikes throughout the week. 

Once I have it together, I’ll share here 🙂

Defining a One-Word Theme
I also love the idea of picking a one-word theme for the year. Last year after making my 21 in 2021 list, I noticed a lot of my items had to do with creating memories and adding more joy and meaning to everyday life, so I decided my word for the year would be “memorable.”

To be honest, I think I only thought of this one-word theme a handful of times over the past year, so while I like the idea altogether, I don’t hold myself accountable to perfect remembrance 🙂

However, I’m inspired to think about a one-word theme again this year because of the article mentioned above. I want to find a way to weave in the “what if it could be easy?” question into my 2022. Maybe my one-word theme will be “ease”! Need to think on it more. 

Thinking About Identity-Based Habits
Along the same lines of a one-word theme, I’m also intrigued by the idea of identity-based habits from James Clear, author of the best-seller Atomic Habits. I like his focus on identity over outcomes (i.e. “I’m a runner” over “I want to run 3 miles”), which he says is the key to building lasting habits.

I’m inclined to jump right to results or things I want to do (ahem, the 22 in 2022 list is first on this list…), but I also want to spend some time this week thinking about the person I want to be in 2022. Going along with my theme of “ease,” I think the person I want to be in 2022 is someone who exudes calmness… yes, this feels funny (and kind-of embarrassing) to type out, but I can already see how pondering on this question could influence and change how one moves throughout the day. I can see myself asking “what would a calm person do?” throughout the day and adding some calm-specific things to my 2022 list.  

What do you think? Are you staying away from the New Year’s resolutions this year or do you have a tried-and-true process you are reflecting on this week? Would love to hear! 

Above all, wishing you an absolutely wonderful and joyous New Year – can’t wait to see where this next year takes us! 

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