We’re 1.3 months into 2025, and statistically most resolutions have been abandoned, if not outright forgotten. All the talk of resolutions is pretty exhausting for the weeks before and after January first, and my goal is not to beat the colloquial horse even more. 

This year I came up with a different idea: Instead of goals or resolutions, I came up with five rules.

These rules don’t have any goals attached to them, but inevitably—because of what they restrict, encourage, or forbid—they will get me closer to where I want to be. 

The problem I’ve always had with goals or resolutions is that they are aspirational, or hopeful. Like, Yah, I hope to get there or accomplish this, but there is no daily instigation driving me in that direction. 

Another way to put it broadly is, my goals were to Save money, Eat healthier, and Spend my time more productively. But instead of stating those as broad aspirations, I came up with daily rules to guide me toward getting closer to those three areas. So my goals were:

No eating after 10pmNo eating out aloneNo TV or movies aloneNo buying anything I don’t needNo spending money on alcohol or sweets (parties and gifts OK)(Bonus goal) Make a podcast, a video, and a blog every week, and write book #12 in 2025.

So you can see how those would help daily nudge me toward the three broader goal areas. 

And I have built-in grace too, so that if I break one of the rules once, it’s not over and I give up. For example, last night I was busy until 10pm and couldn’t even eat dinner until 10:30 so of course I let myself eat dinner without guilt. The rule was more to prohibit needless late-night snacking.

If I’m traveling, the rules may become more flexible as well. But the way my mind works, having these guides installed in the back of my brain like bowling bumpers to constantly bump me back in the right direction has been super helpful. They have pushed me toward having better habits and being more productive. 

For example, if I was out and had a spare hour, I’d often drop into a thrift store to burn time — not because I needed anything, yet I’d always end up buying a couple things I didn’t NEED before. But no more!

The one that has made the biggest impact has been restricting my TV intake. I would come home after the gym and eat dinner while watching something. But dinner takes 15 minutes and an episode is an hour, which often becomes a second episode…… and so on. So now my dinner takes 15 minutes and then I’m back to being more productive or reading a book, etc. 

The resolution focuses on the end, while the rules focus on how you get there. 

Plus, many resolutions require a lot of motivation to conjure up and make happen. Rules like mine put boundaries on things I’m already doing, or restrict them in healthy ways. You won’t need to come up with 365 days of motivation, you just need to abide by the rules you make for yourself.

For my brain, that just clicks better. 1.3 months in and my rules are still very much in play for me! And it’s not too late for you to come up with some rules to guide the rest of your year! 

Let me know what you think of.

e

The post Forget New Year Resolutions. Try New Year Rules. appeared first on ethan renoe.