January 1st is Arbitrary
So why do I fall for the hype every time?
It takes three things to create a change or try a new project: the desire/why, a plan, and action. It does not include any particular day unless your goal contains deadlines. However, it doesn’t have to start on a specific day, today is usually the best day.
I know this but I don’t act on it. I’m too much with the “tomorrow I’ll start the food log/ stop impulse purchasing/ cut back on the time-wasters”. It’s an easy thing to justify, it means just a day or a few days.
Procrastination is too comfortable to me. However, it’s also a silent killer. It lets the imagination see what we want but pushes it back. We’re in the same spot a month, year, or decade later.
New Year’s is a convenient form of procrastination. It’s tricky- it gets inside our head and states “another chance to chase what matters”. It gives us weeks or months to practice the unwanted or harmful behavior.
I fall for this every year. Like yesterday, I purchased $100 in books due to the ability to get 3 books for free and the thought of “well, I’ll be cutting down deeply on purchasing come January 1st”. Plus, the justification that they were for reading groups and challenges I’m doing in 2022.
Every year, it’s a different weakness. This year, it just happens to be books.
So, what is a healthy alternative?
After deciding on resolutions, start small. There are two weeks left this year. It can either be a healthy start or more of the same idleness or procrastination.
Identify each goal and what is possible of doing towards that goal.
Want to practice a budget for certain things- do a soft open and say no more than you say yes. If it’s to quit watching a tv show, withdraw from it slowly. If it’s for a savings challenge, take a larger and a middle range number and put it into the account.
Identify the first step, begin the process.
