Eight Resolutions for a Productive New Year

1. Build out a mindfulness routine

The benefits of mindfulness are endless — but it takes a bit of effort to build it into your lifestyle. Work on gradually building up a mindfulness routine by trying different activities until you find the right mix for you, like journaling, meditation or gratitude practices. You can use hacks like habit stacking, where you add new habits into existing routines, to build out your mindfulness must-haves and reap the rewards of a calmer mind. 

2. Track your spending

If improving your financial wellbeing is on your agenda for 2023, tracking your spending at least some of the time gives you unparalleled visibility over what’s going on with your finances. Not only can it be valuable from a mathematical perspective to see what’s coming in and what’s going out, tracking your spending gives you a window into your financial behavior and the emotions going on behind it. PocketSmith is one of the most comprehensive and customizable money management software available — so it’s never been easier to track your spending!

3. Get to know your retirement fund

Saving for retirement is one of those things that’s easily left in the ‘too hard’ basket in our minds. With so much on our minds in the present, thinking ahead to the future takes some serious brain power, but there is immense value in getting to know your retirement fund. Make it your mission to take one step forward from wherever you’re at each month — whether that’s finding the login to your retirement accounts or looking into making extra contributions. Make 2023 the year you prioritize future-you.

4. Learn a new recipe each month

Knowing how to cook tasty, wholesome and hearty meals is one of the best life skills you can hone. But how do you go from baked beans baddie to Gordon Ramsey greatness? A fun new year’s resolution could be to learn a new recipe each month, so that by the end of the year you’ve got 12 recipes in your arsenal, ready to flex at your next dinner party!

5. Set a monthly money routine

Financial resolutions often fall apart after the first few weeks of the year, but incorporating an evergreen aspect into your goals can help keep you motivated and moving forward. A powerful new year’s resolution idea could be to set a monthly money routine, to keep you engaged with your financial goals throughout the year. You can customize it to suit whatever you’re working towards, incorporating things like savings account trackers, debt pay-off progress, financial journaling or income growth tracking.

6. Learn a new skill

Learning a new skill is a great way to approach 2023 with a growth mindset. It could be something that’ll help you further in your career, or something that has nothing to do with making money. You could take a course in management or marketing, learn to knit or cross stitch, learn a new language or even basic car maintenance. Set a monthly progress check-in to help you stay motivated, and implement micro-milestones and rewards to keep your brain interested. 

7. Set a morning routine

Another case for routine-based new year’s resolutions! Having a healthy morning routine that’s aligned with what makes you feel good can help you start the day focused and energized. Remember, morning routines don’t need to mean 5am gym sessions and endless meditation. Start by choosing something you love to do, and make it part of your morning. That could be making your favorite breakfast, or watching an episode of your favorite tv show, listening to a great playlist, or sitting in silence with your favorite hot drink. Then, add things on until you find a flow that’s right for you.

8. Do something new every week or month

Broadening your horizons and trying new things can teach you more than you realize. If you’re looking to develop yourself more broadly in 2023, set a resolution to try something new every week or every month. Some weeks might be smaller things like trying a new cuisine, other weeks might be bigger things like doing a public presentation for the first time. It’s a great way to get you in touch with the things you hold back from doing, and finally take the leap!

Emma Edwards is a finance copywriter and blogger, on a mission to humanize the financial services industry by creating meaningful content that’s accessible and empowering. You’ll find her penning money tips at her blog, The Broke Generation, sharing financial insights on Instagram, or injecting life into content for her business clients.