So You Think Resolutions Are Trash?
Happy New Year, for the hundredth time.
(The greeting doesn’t get old till around March or when the last Christmas decorations have disappeared, whichever comes first.)
Like they always do at this time of the year, resolutions are trending. But maybe setting such goals is not your thing.
Don’t worry, we understand.
Resolutions are notoriously hard to keep anyway, so rather than try to nudge you toward making them, we’re suggesting something different: anti-resolutions.
As the name hints, anti-resolutions are the opposite of grand New Year goals.
Let’s break it down a bit further with an example.
First, think of all the things you did wrong with your money last year — like ignoring your budget, shopping on impulse (did you really need a new phone?) or living above your means (to impress people who don’t care).
Next, list them.
Finally, instead of promising to do the opposite of those things, commit to stop doing them.
You’re not trying to start lofty positive habits, you just want to break the annoying negative ones that already exist.
A list of anti-resolutions from our example would look like this:
1. I will stop spending money outside my budget.
2. I will not buy things I didn’t plan on buying no matter how attractive they are.
3. I will borrow money only if it’s for an urgent and important reason.
Yes, you’ll still have to find the willpower to follow through on your anti-resolutions but you can get on the right track now if you create a monthly budget.
Before you go, let’s agree on one thing: No matter what we do this year, we’re not recycling bad habits from 2020. 💜
