Why You Should Give Your New Year’s Resolution A Theme

Why You Should Give Your New Year’s Resolution A Theme

The New Year is as good a time as any to make goals and resolutions. You’ll find no shortage of tips on how to accomplish those goals, but one fun option is to give your resolution a theme.

Photo by Chris Phutully.

Author Gretchen Rubin suggests this tip, and it basically involves a summarised, overarching theme for your entire year. I’ve tried it myself, and it keeps you focused, as you filter your habits and plans through that single theme. She explains:

for the last several years, I’ve identified one idea, summarized in just one word, as an overarching theme for the entire year.

My sister Elizabeth often does this kind of resolution, too. Last year her theme was “Novel.” One year was the year of “Free Time,” another, “Style,” another “Hot Wheels” — that year, she got a car and started driving; she and I have both struggled with a fear of driving, which was much tougher for her, given that she lives in Los Angeles and I live in New York City.

Last year, my overarching theme was to do more stuff to break out of my comfort zone. So while I did make concrete goals for the year, giving the year a theme encouraged a voice in my head to remind me to do more uncomfortable things and “say yes” more often.

It’s an interesting idea, and one that Rubin discusses in detail in her full post below.

A Fun Way to Make a New Year’s Resolution [Psychology Today]


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