New Year’s Resolutions are so last year! In 2021, Wonder Bunch Media is aiming for intention.
A resolution is a fantastic theory. You address something you’d like to change about your life, home, health, or happiness and you give it a year of concentrated effort. But the theory is flawed, as evidenced by the statistic that 80% of resolutions have been abandoned by February, with the fateful day that most people “fail” their resolution for the first time each year being January 12 according a study by STRAVA.
They’re giving us a little more hope this year, declaring “quitter’s day” of 2021 to be January 19. That might sound defeating, but we take it as important information for creating a better way to resolve. Yes, we found a way to research and be nerds about resolutions, too. Don’t act surprised.
We don’t need to rehash the difficulties of the last year, but we do think this is a great time to reflect. Take some time to recall all that you and your family managed to overcome this year.
Think of every lesson that was taught from home, every recipe you managed to whip up from what you had on hand, and every happy day you conjured up out of nothing more than the love you have for your children (and coffee. So. Much. Coffee.) We think that if you give yourself some time, you’ll find countless reasons to be proud of yourself!
We know that for us, there are moments we’ve shared this year that will become our very favorites. We have gotten to spend more time watching our daughters learn and grow. We have become better home cooks! We launched our new children’s apps, Print Shoppe, and storybooks to thousands of families around the world. We may have even become overly accustomed to some of the conveniences that were born out of necessity.
Grocery pickup is a parenting win! Order exactly what you want online, never drag a tired toddler through the store, begging for treats, hot in their jacket, and losing their minds and their mittens? We’re never going back!
It’s ok to acknowledge the difficulties we’ve had, but please be sure you’re also celebrating the thousands of wins you’ve created along the way. We are so proud of you!
They say that you can’t choose your life, but that you choose your habits and your habits determine your life. This year, we didn’t have much choice but to fall down a few habit holes of our own! We embraced the down-time, the binge watching, and the lax routines. But we are getting ready to come out of our hibernation, and step one is to build ourselves some new habits.
We like to create weekly goals on Sundays, and assess our progress at the end of each week. See where adjustments may need to be made, and start small. We have time!
By setting goals weekly instead of annually, it gives us time to notice when we’ve started drifting from our resolutions. If we have, no big deal. We’ve drifted for a week instead of for months.
These smaller bites make it easier to establish real change, instead of being too hard on ourselves for any perceived “slips.” It also allows us to assess whether these new goals are still right for us. Short commitments are still commitments!
The first habit hole I’ve found for myself to climb out of is scrolling through my phone first thing in the morning. I soon found that I was losing almost an hour every day getting lost in pictures of friends’ pets, recipes, and the news. That can all wait! But instead of just chiding myself over a habit I don’t like, I have found it’s best to simply replace a habit you’d like to change with a healthy habit you’d like to develop.
My first new habit will be to get out of bed and move my body for those first 45 minutes every day. Enjoying the peace, building my strength, and sometimes even enjoying a quiet cup of coffee before the family wakes up and the work of the day begins. It sets me up for a more successful (and less stressful!) day.
I’ve asked a few friends what habits they and their families want to make or break, and their lists included things like:
We would love to share some of your healthy habits with our readers, too! If you’d like to share some, drop us a comment on Facebook or Instagram @Wonder_Bunch_Media or email us at Hello@Wonderbunch.Com.
Healthy habits can pave the road to a worry-free day, but they can also grind out the rut that runs parallel to that road. If you’ve found your schedule has stagnated, and you’re feeling a little uninspired, exhausted, or plain burned out, let someone else do it!
Start by making a very honest list of what you and your partner are doing every day. See if some of it can be automated. You know that every week you’ll buy eggs, milk, bread, etc. Create an automated essentials shopping list and schedule grocery delivery for the same time every week, or consider using a meal kit service. Use subscription services for essentials like pet food, vitamins and supplements, or office supplies. Put your bills on automatic payments (this might even help save you some money, as many phone companies and internet providers offer a discount for automated billing!) Hire out a particularly odious task like lawn work, laundry, or pet grooming.
If you find yourself procrastinating tasks that an app simply cannot help you with, try redistributing chores among family members. Trade tasks with your partner, children, or even friends. Not only will you be doing something new, you’ll be helping someone you love instead of doing something you consider “your chore.” That in itself makes a task feel a little less burdensome.
They say it takes a village, and we know we have been missing ours heaps! But we have found that each of us is able to pick up a task from one another’s to-do lists, and it keeps us connected and serving those friendships even from a distance.
For instance, many of our friends have developed home-school co-ops, taking on individual subjects and teaching one other’s families via zoom. This takes the burden off each parent having to come up with a whole curriculum, which is especially helpful for families who weren’t planning to home school this year. We also have a dinner-exchange group, where one night a week we each make enough dinner to feed everyone and no-contact drop off the meals at one another’s homes. Not having to figure out dinner one or two nights a week has been such a relief! But it also keeps us sharing meals and staying close, even from afar.
If reducing stress and organizing your life are on your resolution list, unburdening yourself and your partner of a few chores might be the key to your success!
So many people set very vague, but very similar resolutions for themselves every January. Lose weight, get your finances in order, organize. Before telling yourself what you want to change about you in the next 365 days, start by figuring out the real reason you want to change. What you want your life to look like.
You want to lose weight. Why?
So you can be around for your children longer.
So you have the endurance to play with them more.
So you have the energy to be the real you, even after being the work you and the parent you and the errands you.
So you don’t duck when someone pulls out a camera, erasing yourself from those memories.
So your goal is actually to be healthier, stronger, and more present. That’s a purposeful and achievable goal, and keeping it in mind will help you make whatever adjustments are needed.
You want to get your finances in order. Why?
So you can stop worrying about money and debt. Why?
So you can stop over-working yourself. Why?
So you are less stressed and can spend more time enjoying your family.
So money isn’t the goal, reclaiming your time, peace, and focus is. That’s an excellent and achievable goal. Identifying what’s taking your attention away from being present in any aspect of your life is a fantastic resolution! Facing your anxieties about your finances is a great way to raise financially literate children who understand how you’ve built the lives they love.
2020 was hard, but it was gone in a flash. Instead of looking at 2021 like a hurdle to tackle, look to today. Do something today that the future you will be grateful for. Nurture yourself, your family, and the life you want with intention and with love.
We are grateful for the time we had with you this year, and we can’t wait to see you tomorrow!
Happiest New Year!
Meghan and Alex
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