Boycotting New Year’s resolutions
Taking a break from personal goals
As a proud hater of New Year’s resolutions, I’m always supportive of skipping personal goal setting in January. Will you be joining me in boycotting resolutions, or do you enjoy this yearly tradition?
Vocabulary Preview
Instructions
Select the correct word to match each definition.
Boycotting New Year’s Resolutions
Are you familiar with the CEO morning routine? How about the 5-to-9 before your 9-to-5? These social media trends typically involve waking up early to check off a series of wellness- and productivity-boosting activities such as meditating, gratitude journalling, working out, tidying, and eating a nutritious meal—tasks that also tend to appear on many New Year’s resolution lists as the year comes to a close.
However, not everyone is enthusiastic about setting self-improvement goals for the next year. In fact, according to a recent US survey, almost half of Americans have decided not to make any New Year’s resolutions at all.
Why do so many people consider New Year’s resolutions overrated? Here are some theories!
No One Wants to Be a Cliché
It’s commonly estimated that 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by February. Goals like “exercising more” and “saving money” are popular but also notoriously tricky to follow through on, and nobody wants to become a statistic. We tend to make resolutions with an all-or-nothing mentality, but there are many other goal-setting methods that might offer a more sustainable and holistic approach.
Fighting Hustle Culture
While we can all admire hard work and dedication, many people are tired of the glorification of overworking. Instead of bragging about excessive overtime hours and overwhelming workload, Gen Z workers are popularizing trends like quiet quitting and bare minimum Mondays. These movements encourage workers to prioritize self care and mental health over climbing the career ladder. Refusing to set goals for the new year could help protect employees from corporate burnout.
Workplace Goals Burnout
There’s no shortage of performance measurement tools for companies to choose from. OKRs, CFRs, KPIs, and SMART goals are commonplace terms in the modern workplace. Employees are often required to track their daily tasks using project management tools. Performance reviews and goal tracking updates are conducted on at least a quarterly basis. With all that energy focused on progress monitoring at work, it’s no wonder people are skipping goals in their personal lives.
Final Thoughts
Traditional New Year’s resolutions can sometimes feel incompatible with people’s mental health and well-being priorities. Do you see value in setting goals for self development, either now or any other time of year? What are your strategies for achieving sustainable personal growth?
Vocabulary Practice
Instructions
Drag and drop the correct word to complete each sentence. You won’t use all the words.
Speaking Practice
Talk about a time when…
You felt enthusiastic about a hobby or activity in your personal life.
You decided that a trend (or movie, food, holiday, etc.) was overrated.
You participated in hustle culture.
You checked an experience off your bucket list.
You made a decision that benefitted your holistic well-being.
