New Years traditions call for a fabulous party, noisemakers and party hats, a hearty rendition of Auld Lang Syne (sung as loud as possible after a champagne toast), and those begrudgingly anticipated resolutions. The big day is around the corner and the inevitable question looms: what are your new year’s resolutions for 2008? These suggestions, accommodated by some online offerings, are a helpful way to make the New Year’s tradition of creating resolutions a little easier. Incorporate these simple changes into your daily lifestyle and see how to keep a New Year’s resolution can be easy and fun. Make it a great 2008!
1. Stay in Touch with Friends and Family
Are you feeling guilty because your mailbox was full of holiday greeting cards from friends and family and you only had time to send them to a small smattering of friends and relatives? Get the year off to a good start by beginning a new tradition of sending New Years e-cards. Everyone will be happy to get some post-Christmas cheering up and a fun update on you and your family.
2. Spend More Time with Friends
Spend less of your week doing time-consuming, tedious errands; instead, take some time this year to relieve yourself of life’s hustle-bustle. Invite your friends or co-workers to join you for a lunchtime walk, an after-hours Happy Hour, a yoga class after work, or a night out on the town by sending an online invitation. Resolutions are meant to be good for you and hopefully enjoyable, so what could be more fun than spending less time in supermarket lines and more time laughing with friends?
3. Remember Important Dates (and Actually Send Cards)
Do you find yourself overwhelmed with family correspondence and constantly unable to keep up? Start small by putting all of your family members’ (and your in-laws’ too) birthdays and anniversaries into a secure, online reminder service, such as the one available from American Greetings. They notify you when it’s time to send a greeting so you’ll never forget your Mom’s birthday again!
4. Organize the Address Book
Did you have trouble getting Christmas cards out this year because of your messy address book? Was the last time you updated your address book when you got married 10 years ago? Streamline your outdated efforts by keeping your family, friends, and co-worker contact information logged in a simple and secure online address book. Sending holiday cards will be as painless as it has ever been. You can conveniently access your address books at work or at home, allowing you to update your files whenever you get an opportunity.
5. Enjoy Life More
Bring more balance to your life by simplifying your daily schedule and prioritizing what you enjoy most. Take up a new hobby: try a creative project. American Greetings has a wide variety of projects that allow you to utilize your creative juices, from making your own business cards to personalizing your own stationery and more. Express your inner art student and impress your friends with your latest artistic creation.
6. Lend a Hand
Step outside of yourself and give some of your time to help those around you. By committing to a cause that is in line with your core values, you will be more likely to stay involved and feel rewarded by the experience. Since many of us lack time, take a moment to send a breast cancer awareness card or other inspirational greeting to help lift someone’s spirit during a challenging time. You will feel better about yourself after helping make someone’s day brighter. Also, start a New Year’s tradition of reaching out to others in the beginning of every year by engaging in letter-writing campaigns or donating money online.
7. Manage Your Finances
Make an effort to limit unnecessary drains on your wallet by tracking your finances online. Begin logging all of your expenses for the month and see how quickly those delicious lattes add up. Free online greeting cards let you keep in touch, exercising outside (instead of in a gym) lets you keep fit, and rewards clubs (at supermarkets, gas stations, etc) and coupons let you pad the pocketbook a tad more. Set a realistic plan to allow yourself greater financial freedom, alleviate financial headaches and start saving for future goals.
8. Learn to Cook & Dine in More Often
In tandem with number 7, start spending less money on dining out. Pledge to dine in more or find a cooking class to satisfy your unending cravings for ethnic cuisines. Get new recipes from books, relatives, and online, and experiment cooking new dishes in the comfort of your own kitchen. For an added touch of you, print your favorites on personalized recipe cards.
9. Capture Memories
Making memories is something you do every time you participate in any of the New Year’s traditions mentioned in the beginning of this post. But afterwards, do you always complain that you don’t have any pictures? Has another office get-together come and gone without any proof that you were there? Or are you relishing the old college days looking through a photo album?Take out the old memory box and compile some pictures. Create a printable ecard and complete it by inserting a favorite photo to commemorate the good old times and send to a friend for that special occasion. Or, if remembering your camera is the problem, buy an inexpensive disposable camera to leave in your car or purse, so you will have it with you wherever you go. Print the pictures on CD so next year you can send a personalized photo Christmas card.
10. Limit Your Vices
In a perfect world, there would be no battle against biting your nails, eating unhealthy food, drinking too much caffeine, smoking and a myriad of other terrible habits. Unfortunately, the real world is full of tantalizing vices that we all accompany. Experts say that when you feel the urge to engage the bad habit, try to busy yourself with another activity. Instead of hitting the coffee pot again or taking that smoke break, try hitting up the PC and sending an e-card: added bonus, you’re putting a smile on someone else’s face by brightening up their inbox!
Tags: how to keep a new years resolution, new year ecard, new years resolutions, new years traditions
