It’s a brand new year, and that means it’s time to ditch some of your old behaviors and patterns and instead make small changes to drastically improve your life. These five lifestyle resolutions will put you on the right path for an epic, productive, and fulfilling year!
1. Give back by cleaning out your closet.
Purging your closet does two things at once; it helps you declutter your environment and it gives someone else the chance to enjoy your gently used clothing. Let’s be honest, most of us have tons of stuff sitting around our closets and drawers that we haven’t touched for the better part of a year.
You can clear up some space for new men’s basics from Fresh Clean Tees and prioritize the items you actually wear in just a few hours. Then, you can donate your old fits to a local nonprofit or clothing bank.
Finances are way easier when you're saving money on well-made basics (and no interior decor).
2. Get your financial house in order.
For many of us, it’s downright terrifying to assess our financial situation. Maybe you’ve been putting off your retirement fund or ignoring those debt collection calls. The truth is the longer you wait to get your financial house in order, the worse it’ll get, so make 2022 the year you get on track money-wise.
Check your credit score and make a plan to improve it, if need be. Next, take a look at your retirement fund. Are you contributing enough? You can schedule an appointment with a specialist to review your options and maximize your nest egg. Otherwise, set aside some cash for a rainy day. Even taking small steps to improve your financial security can have substantial positive ramifications on your life, so get on it.
Our super soft t-shirts are ideal for running (and secretly fighting crime at night as a vigilante superhero).
3. Build healthier habits.
In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear talks about how the major successes in our lives are the culmination of several small, consistent positive choices rather than monumental “a-ha” moments. For example, healthier habits that are regularly kept, such as going to the gym, waking up early, and practicing mindfulness, can have massive payoffs down the road.
Instead of drastically changing your life, start small. Get a gym membership and actually go twice a week. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Resist the urge to press the snooze button. Over time, these habits will become ingrained in your daily life, and you’ll start to see very noticeable and significant benefits.
4. Work on your boundaries.
Some people in your life don’t deserve your time, attention, or efforts. Although nobody’s perfect, there are those who actively and consistently zap your resources and take advantage of your goodwill. There’s a good chance that if you have a toxic person lurking in your orbit, you already know who they are.
Work on setting up firm boundaries and tending to positive relationships in your life. Putting yourself first can be difficult or even uncomfortable, especially if you’re used to having your boundaries breached. Remember that you have the right to privacy, the right to your time, and the right to say “no” without feeling guilty about it. If someone pushes back on or downright ignores your boundaries, feel free to show them the door.
5. Make actionable goals.
It’s so tempting to make huge, sweeping resolutions at the start of a new year. Although it’s theoretically possible for you to become fluent in another language, climb K2, and master the art of hour-long meditation over the next 365 days, it’s arguably unlikely.
While stretch goals are awesome and exciting, it’s easy to set yourself up for failure and disappointment if you try to take on too much without a roadmap. That’s why actionable goals are so important. Break your goals down to milestones and key performance indicators (KPIs). Smart companies use KPIs to measure ongoing success and ensure that everything is on track for larger goals. You can apply those principles in your own life.
Say your goal is to run a marathon this year. Good KPIs are to run three times a week, engage in strength training twice a week, and take a weekly yoga class to keep you limber. Milestones would be races, including 5Ks, 10Ks, and half-marathons. Eventually, running a marathon will simply be the next logical step (possibly in a soft v-neck, if you're not into pricey sport gear).
So follow these steps and make 2022 the year of resolutions you’ll actually keep!
— Elizabeth Lavis
