New Year’s Resolutions Reimagined
The concept of reinvention in the face of the new year is nearing us yet again. The sentiment of a fresh start is ever present, a chance to begin again, to create something new. But with this opportunity comes the weight of possibility - the gentle tug of what could be, and the inescapable awareness of what has passed.
It’s a Saturday evening, the darkness outside is all-consuming, softened only by the glow of candles and the warm twinkle of lights scattered around homes that radiate warmth toward the outside world. The quiet hum of possibilities and the weight of last year’s unmet goals mingle in the air. It is that time of the year again - months of dark afternoons, battling the shortness of the cold days. Days that are filled with quiet reflection and your waiting resolution list.
We all know how this goes: you sit down in December to reflect on the past year, maybe you revisit resolutions that you’ve already forgotten; and suddenly, you feel the urge to create a new self. A version of you that is much better than your present self, more disciplined or polished, capable: someone who checks all of the boxes from the long list of ideas about this better version of you.
New Year’s resolutions often face criticism for fostering a productivity-driven culture: always pushing for more, faster, better, with the promise of a better and mostly happier you. James Clear pinpoints the flaw of this assumption: "The implicit assumption behind any goal is this: ‘Once I reach my goal, then I’ll be happy.’ The problem with a goals-first mentality is that you’re continually putting happiness off until the next milestone." (Atomic Habits, 2018, Random House Business). This never-ending and relentless pursuit of an abstract goal is also shaped by societal pressures. Diet culture in particular also has insidious ways of embedding itself into our lists of aspirations. The new year is fertile ground for these notions, encouraging us to look towards unattainable ideals of physical “perfection” and promoting restrictive practices masked as “wellness.” I would like to believe that society is gradually moving away from this worldview, shifting toward a more slowed-down and more intentional mindset. For years I’ve been asking myself whether there’s any other way, reimagining the classic resolutions. Could it be approached in a gentler, more intuitive way, to set yourself up for (positive) change, without the relentless pressure to improve?
Resolutions can be inspiring, offering a fresh start and a sense of purpose: but they can also feel like a cruel checklist, a set of expectations destined to overwhelm, hanging over you like the sword of Damocles. I don’t believe that resolutions need to symbolise progress in the traditional sense. Instead, they can be powerful catalysts for meaningful shifts in our habits, perspectives, and actions.
But what makes a resolution truly effective? Can they be objectively good or bad, or is its value entirely subjective? Should it be measured by tangible progress, or is it more about the intention behind it? Let’s turn this around for the sake of a less cold and impersonal approach: perhaps resolutions and goals are not really about what you accomplish but the intention behind your thinking and actions.
The biggest pitfall of traditional resolutions (waking up at 5am, going for a run five times a week, finishing 12 books) is their detachment from reality and what truly matters. They focus on perfect outcomes, productivity, or some kind of external validation. They fail because these resolutions are often set without considering intrinsic values or realistic habits, leaving us disconnected from what truly matters. As a result, they fail to create lasting sustainable change - and often leave us feeling disheartened.
Turning the page, entering the new year, January 1 feels much like December 31. Yet, the act of marking a new year remains significant. It’s a rite of passage, a way to delimit the vast amount of time we have in this life and break it into manageable chapters. It offers the chance to celebrate, say goodbye, and, as has been mentioned many times, reflect. In a way, we can observe it as a ritual: welcoming the potential of something new and saying goodbye to the past.
The poet Mary Oliver once asked, “What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Perhaps resolutions should help us answer that, instead of imposing a checklist of shoulds. I don’t necessarily believe that resolutions are tied to the beginning of the year, one can decide to mark the passage of time using their birthday or any other important event that feels appropriate. What remains unchanged - it helps us cope with the nature of time and perceive it in a more digestible manner.
For me, the shift toward a more intuitive approach came gradually. As someone who has kept a journal since age 12, I can trace my evolving relationship with resolutions. It started with the classics that were imposed on me through media, films and pop culture, until I shifted my resolutions into more intentional and gentle commitments that actually matter to me and that come from a place that feels genuine to me as a person and authentic to my lifestyle.
One resolution that has profoundly changed how I move through the world, was and is slowing down, focusing on mindfully perceiving the world around me and how I consume information, embracing "slowmaxxing": a mindful lifestyle popularised by @robyns_quill on Twitter:
"You need to be slowmaxxing. You need to be reading long, fat books. You need to be making 48-hour chocolate chip cookies. You need to spend hours watching wildlife, you need to spend 15+ min making your coffee. You need to breathe in and breathe out. You need to be slowwwwwwwwww."
Slowmaxxing is about resisting the urge to rush, savoring life’s subtleties, and being deliberate in how we consume information. If you allow it, this approach touches every aspect of life, from work to relationships to the way you consume media. While this might seem like a very naive approach to life, this resolution is more about noticing what already is around you than running after an abstract goal. The beauty of slowmaxxing is its flexibility: noticing art, music, pondering the media you choose to watch, books, cooking, going on walks. While it can require a specific shift in your day-to-day life, it turns quite simple actions into rituals.
In many ways, slowmaxxing is about shifting your mindset from a success-oriented worldview that oftentimes focuses on speed, efficiency, and productivity, to one that focuses on depth, intention, and mindful and slow movement through the everyday; favouring quality over quantity.
This resolution created a lot of space in my life: to reflect on what is in front of me, while recharging and reconnecting with myself as well as how I choose to spend my time and energy. Instead of racing through my life, I have started to fully immerse myself in each moment, one activity at a time. Essentially, we are talking about noticing and savouring even the smallest and most mundane details of our existence - the way the sun shines through your windows in the afternoon, the morning mist and quiet, the way your dog’s breathing sounds once he’s calm asleep on you, the twists and turns of your favourite book. Slowing down helps you see life unfolding, rather than leaving you to feel like you are chasing something that is always one step ahead of you.
Resolutions aren’t one-time achievements, though they’re often framed that way. We write them down, possibly check them off, and move on. What we are ignoring in this case is that we are often trying to achieve a certain habit or lifestyle change, which, inherently, isn’t a one-time deal. Lasting change requires repetition, patience, and mastery. There is no shame in repeating resolutions, because sometimes, it takes multiple attempts to truly integrate change into our lives. In her book The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin also stresses consistency: “What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while” (2009, Harper). A key element to this thinking is to keep the resolution until we learn it, master it. Keeping it until it becomes instinctual, fully habitual, so that you don’t really have to think about the activity actively.
The beauty of resolutions lies in their adaptability. Reworking what has worked well, while rethinking or trying again something that hasn't, is something that will always be worthwhile. It allows us to adjust our perspective and create real change - not just in the new year, but all throughout our lives. If we approach resolutions from this perspective, they become tools for meaningful growth rather than burdens to bear. So, this year, as you write your resolutions, ask yourself: What feels authentic? What aligns with your values? Maybe it’s not about grand, unattainable goals but small, intentional shifts that bring you closer to the life you want to live.
Written by Karolína Richterová
Karolína Richterová is a freelance editor and copywriter. When she’s not taking care of texts and translations, she’s probably reading books. If not that, it’s knitting, running, playing tennis, or a quick game of dice. You can also find her on Instagram - @karolinasreadings.
