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31st Dec 2017

Here’s Why You Should Ditch New Year’s Resolutions And Make A Bucket List Instead

Éadaoin Fitzmaurice

It’s that time of year again, you’ve eaten more food in December than the 11 other months of the year combined, you’ve binged on every series you could find on Netflix and you’ve had more hangovers than you’d like to admit to.

You’re feeling pretty crappy, lets be honest.

This can only mean one thing, those dreaded three words that everyone will ask you about come January 1, new year’s resolutions.

It goes the same way every year, you tell yourself you’ll go to the gym more often, eat better, stay in better contact with friends etc. You feel positive about it, like this year will be different… Well, it never usually is.

New year’s resolutions often tend to be unrealistic and hard to work towards. However, what if instead of new year’s resolutions you had a new year’s bucket list?

In a recent podcast called Happier by Gretchen Rubin, she suggests doing just that. She has inspired listeners to create a list of 18 things they want to accomplish in 2018

So why do bucket lists work better?

Many resolutions are unspecific and vague, for example saying you will read more, work out more or cook more. These are things that cannot be crossed off a list as they are too general. This leads to many of us returning to old habits after a couple of weeks.

If you write these down in form of a bucket list however, it is much easier to accomplish them. This will help you develop a concrete plan and add structure to your goals.

For example, instead of saying you will cook more write down that you will host six dinner parties over the year. And let’s be honest, there is nothing more satisfying than ticking something off a list.

Writing your goals up and sticking them up somewhere is also a deadly way to ensure to stick to them. Many people have taken the advice of Rubin and made their lists already.

Less stress, more success, with a list like this you’ll be feeling 2018 for sure.

Now time to get scribbling!

READ MORE: This Is The Perfect Age Gap In A Relationship, According To A New Study

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