The new year is here, and along with it, flashy resolutions. According to the US News & World Report, a whopping 80% of New Year's resolutions fail by the second week of February. 

That was the state I was in during early 2020. My aspirations were tossed to the side as I mindlessly watched one YouTube video after another. But then one in particular drew me in. Titled "Your Theme" by the channel CGP Grey, it brought some light into my situation.

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Theme

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The video I mentioned above proposes that instead of a resolution, one should create a theme for the year: go broad. For example, many people make resolutions with strict unchanging diets for the entirety of the New Year. Step back, perhaps choose this year to focus on health instead. In this way, it allows for wiggle room throughout the next twelve months. If the diet fails, perhaps the gym is the place to go, or the “health” in that resolution could be mental health. People are bound to change over the year, and goals change along with them. In the case of 2020, events (like a pandemic) might make specific resolutions impossible to achieve. Instead of a theme, there is more flexibility.

 

I decided then and there that my year’s theme would be reading for fun. Before high school, I would read YA novels all the time. And yeah, there was a part of me that missed doing it. But how to go about this goal?

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Reminders

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Ever the spontaneous one, I looked up books that got good reviews. They were multiple genres and lengths, ranging from YA to full-blown classics. Then I typed them into my local library's website and requested to borrow them with physical copies. I like the feeling of a physical book and the lack of money spent. It worked because I could not ignore the stack of 10 books on my desk. Instead of scrolling through social media, I would reroute my choice to open a novel.

 

Other resolutions might have similar solutions. Putting workout equipment in the car is a simple act that makes it easier to get to the gym. A small reminder that makes it easier to accomplish a goal.

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"People are bound to change over the year,

and goals change along with them"

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Make Time

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I am a college student, so time is of the essence. Yes, nerdy me scheduled time aside to read. Gretchen Rubin, author of “The Happiness Project,” also tried to read more books (her theme of the year was happiness, not reading). What was her approach?

 

She had a similar premise to my own goal: “[Rubin] wanted to make more time to read—more books, with more enjoyment.” One way she did this was to “stop reading books [she] didn’t enjoy.” I did the same. Even if the book was a beloved classic, I stopped reading if I was not interested. My goal was not to give flashbacks to guided reading from high school after all! I included picture books, graphic novels & manga, magazines, even fanfiction into the mix. Those were the ones that kept my attention after all. Spend that time on accomplishing goals in enjoyable ways to keep the motivation flowing.

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Dropping the Ball

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Finally, people should not think of themselves as failures if they do end up dropping the ball. Over a year, there is time to pick themselves up again. I went for months without touching a book—it could be anything from midterms, finals, or a busy/lazy month— but I still had time to return to reading later. Small victories matter. Remember, the vast majority of people have a resolution that does not end up working. If you are working towards your goals, good job.

 

To accomplishing our resolutions! I wish everybody who reads this a Happy New Year and the best for 2021.