While the 1st day of the new year is a day just like any other, I am often filled with contemplation as I enter the New Year.
It starts with me staring up at the ceiling and wondering how we so quickly took another trip around the sun
…. and it then ends with a vague compilation of resolutions that I love in January and promptly forget in February.
Can anyone else relate?
So, this year I changed it up:
As I stared at the ceiling wondering what 2022 would have in store for me, I decided to change the way I made my resolutions.
I spent the day creating a bullet journal of sorts that listed these goals and the realistic benchmarks that I could check off along the way. Though it felt corny at the moment, having these goals written down helps me be intentional in my goal to reach them and fills me with pride when I get closer!
In doing this I realized that setting intentions like this is the perfect way to set my eco-friendly resolutions for the year as well.
So, as we are still in January, a month where I believe it is perfectly acceptable to add and edit resolutions, a draft month one may say, here are 3 ways I found helpful to create eco-friendly New Years’ resolutions that last!
Creating Eco-Friendly New Years’ Resolutions that Last
1. Set a Goal for Something You Have Interest In
If you don’t care you likely won’t stick to a New Years’ resolution. So think about your current lifestyle and pick something you are already interested in learning more about or altering.
For example: Are you a fashionista? Maybe consider making the resolution around shopping.
Looking to change your diet? Maybe research sustainable ways to cook and eat
Maybe take two minutes right now just to jot down some topics you would be interested in making an NYE resolution. If you need some help click here to see my guide to building sustainable habits!
2. Make the goal specific and reasonable
Now that you have something you are interested in think of how you can turn it into an eco-friendly resolution. There can be so many ways to become sustainable, but the most important thing is to make it reasonable for yourself!
If your goal is to use your car less and walk to work, but work is 3 miles away, then likely there won’t be a ton of follow-through there.
So now transform your interest and idea into an actionable plan!
Let’s use interest in diet change or food as an example.
The overall goal could be: Reduce Carbon footprint through meals
If you are brand new to changing your diet you may think it is reasonable to apply this to 3 meals a week.
So then the action plan would be…
I will eat 3 vegetarian meals a week and explore one new vegetarian recipe each week
The key is to be as specific as possible. The more specific the plan, the more potential for follow-through.
If I make my action plan “Eat more vegetarian meals monthly” then I will find ways to get out of it because maybe that just means 1 meal a month. Saying “I will eat 3 vegetarian meals a week” makes it so that you know exactly when you reach or miss this goal.
Whether your goal is small or large it is truly up to you. What matters is consistency! I’d rather make a small goal that I can follow through on rather than a large one I can’t manage.
Maybe this year you try one new recipe and 3 vegetarian meals a week, but six months in you love it. Then at that point, you have a bunch of vegetarian recipes you have tried and maybe you could bump it to 5 meals a week or all vegetarian lunches. Starting small doesn’t mean it has to stay that way!
3. Find a way to hold yourself accountable and reward yourself!
Now we have a goal and a reasonable action plan, let’s stick to it longer than January! To do this think of how you hold yourself accountable for your other goals. I am huge about checklists, and love nothing more than checking the box marking that I did it!
So for my goals this year I made checkboxes I can mark when I work towards my goal.
But maybe that isn’t for you, and I totally get it. Think of then ways you stay accountable to your other goals or how you would want to be rewarded for reaching a goal.
This could be maybe…
- Setting up a monthly reward you will look forward to for reaching goal
- Creating a way for you to track your progress maybe on a calendar or other way
- Partnering with a friend to hold each other accountable
Taking time to set these intentions makes reaching your goals a whole lot clearer.
Here is an Example of Resolution!
Overall Goal: Reduce Carbon footprint through meals
Action Plan: I will eat 3 meals that are vegetarian each week and explore a new vegetarian recipe each week
Accountability Plan: I will make a recipe book with each new vegetarian recipe I make, with the date I tried it written on the top of the recipe card. I will add the new recipe weekly. At the end of each month, I will treat myself to a fun dessert from my favorite bakery.
So there it is, my guide to creating eco-friendly New Years Resolutions! While our NYE resolutions do not all have to be about eco-friendly habits try to challenge yourself and make at least ONE about the environment. Fresh out of ideas? Feel free to check out some of my other posts such as How to Build Green Habits, 5 Free Ways to Go Green Today, and Sustainable Swaps for a Planet Friendly Period.
Remember, small actions multiplied by millions can change the world.
Together let’s change the world in 2022!
