January 15, 2019
Here we are, in the chilly clutches of January again. It’s that notorious time of year for drawing up a list of ambitious New Year’s resolutions in the hope of change. Many of us have a lot of goals in common, as year after year the same topics of self-improvement crop up. In YouGov’s 2017 poll, participants revealed their desired life changes for the year ahead and unsurprisingly, they weren’t too different from the previous year’s statistics. Chances are you recognise a few from this list of the five most common ones:
1 Exercise more
A sizeable 37% of participants said they wished to increase their hours of physical activity; one of the New Year’s resolutions directly associated with the guilt of living as a Christmas couch potato for an entire month before, we’ve no doubt. January is the time to lace up your running shoes and get your blood pumping again!
2 Eat more healthily
This one goes hand-in-hand with number 1, so it’s unsurprising that of those involved in the poll, an identical 37% reported that they wished to improve their diet to reach weight loss or general health improvement goals. A resolution that sounds particularly logical after a month of festive indulgence, perhaps you’ve also vowed to substitute your morning croissant for a hearty bowl of muesli and banned all manner of sugary treats from the house.
3 Save money
Christmas is expensive – so January seems a good time to get a little more sensible with your finances. Up there with highest ranking New Year’s resolutions, 37% decided their budgeting needed attention over the following 12 months. You might use it as a general self-discipline exercise, or have a holiday or exciting large purchase you want to save up for.
4 Focus on self-care
We all know it’s important to take care of number one – at least, 24% of poll participants do. This could involve getting more sleep, booking a massage or even finding a quiet corner to read a book in for a few hours a couple of evenings a week. Treat yourself well so you can stay focussed for the other resolutions!
5 Learn a new skill
Maybe 2019 is the year you finally master balloon animals, get to grips with another language or brush up on some of your existing professional skills. This self-improvement aspiration holds its position amidst the most popular resolutions, with 15% expressing an interest in learning something new last year.
Sticking to your New Year’s resolutions
It’s one thing to talk about our good intentions – but how many of us will actually stick to this year’s New Year’s resolutions? According to a ComRes poll for Bupa in 2015, 66% of people who admitted to breaking a New Year’s resolution did so within just one month.
How are we getting it so wrong?
Well, it turns out that the secret to sticking to your annual goals is actually quite simple: it all comes down to being realistic and planning ahead.
Be smart and set attainable goals – for example, instead of swearing off a certain food forever, say you’ll have it less often instead.
Write yourself a plan that outlines what, when and how you’ll achieve your goals so you have a framework to follow. Give yourself weekly targets, and keep a record to ensure you’re on track. Putting your goals in writing signals your commitment, and means you are more likely to achieve them.
So what are you waiting for? Start planning your life-changing year ahead!
PS. If you’ve set yourself goals for the year, chances are your customers have too – so if you’re looking for promotional gifts during this first part of the year, why not opt for our Classic Radnor Refillable Leather Journal. It holds three notebooks inside, meaning you can keep track of your personal goals in one book and have two other books for work projects – and everything can stay neatly in order and be at hand every day. The real beauty of this journal is that it’s refillable, so you can keep adding fresh books as the year progresses; at the end of the year, you can simply add fresh new books for next year’s new resolutions.
Get in touch to speak to a member of our sales team about ordering your customised notebooks for the year ahead.
