2023 RESOLUTIONS RESULTS: 5/10
I know 5 out of 10 doesn’t seem great, but my 2023 resolutions were really about creating better habits for myself than typical big “resolutions,” and I’d say building 5 new habits is pretty good. They have definitely impacted my physical and mental health for the better. Click here to read about my past years of resolutions results.
- Drink a glass of water upon waking up: YES
I still suck at hydration, but I’m a tad bit better and that counts! I now drink the water while completing my Five Minute Journal in the morning as part of my morning routine. - Complete my 5-Minute Journal daily: YES
This has actually become part of my morning and night routine and I notice when I don’t complete it. I learned that the Five Minute Journal doesn’t have a full year of pages, so I bought another one for Prime Day on Amazon, and then another one for 2024 during Black Friday from Target that comes in an exclusive teal color!
- Limit my Instagram usage to 50mins a day: NO
I did better than I thought, adhering to this resolution for 137 days (37%). I was pretty good about doing this in the first couple of months of the year, but it really went downhill in the last half of the year. I think it’s because I followed some new influencers that I really do like to keep up with and watch their Instagram stories daily. I don’t necessarily think that’s bad, but I definitely still aimlessly scroll, so I’m going to need to figure out a way to get off my phone more in 2024. - Floss every day: YES
After two decades of lying to my dentist, I am now a real daily flosser. I floss at night before I brush my teeth. I actually think the more I floss, the more things get stuck in my teeth, which in turn makes me floss more, what a cycle. This was my most successful resolution, and I flossed 347 days this year. - Lights out by 11pm every night: NO
I was only successful with this for 81 days this year. Sleeping has always been a struggle for me, and I know that it is critical for keeping my mind and body sharp, so I need to get better at it. I think part of my problem is just scrolling on my phone late at night or just not getting into bed early enough. Some variation of this will be in my 2024 resolutions. - Exercise or get 5,000 steps four times a week: YES
I was very successful at this! In the first half of the year, I was pretty good about taking morning walks and going to ClassPass classes. I signed up for a half marathon for 2024 and started running 3-5x a week, so it was easy to get 5,000 steps a day. I also joined a run club, Keep It Run Hundred!
- Volunteer once a month: NO
I volunteered 4 times this year, which is double what I did in 2022. I helped a couple of senior citizens through Westside Pacific Villages, as well as volunteered at MLK Day and Halloween events through an organization called Big Sunday. I want volunteering to fit into my schedule, but haven’t found an organization I really resonate with, but there are a few that I want to look into for 2024 around running and literacy. - Vegetarian + eggs diet for 200 days (no meat, yes eggs): NO
I only stuck to this for 123 days, which is still about a third of the year. I ate a lot of salads, eggs, and yogurt at home. I think I only purchased meat at the grocery store once, which was lox for toast. I want to try this again next year and am expecting less travel in 2024, so I think it will be a little easier to get 200 days.
- Finish 200 pages of my Spanish workbook by the end of the year: NO
I did 16 pages in January and did not incorporate this into my routine. I was using the Duolingo mobile app a few years ago, but a 2022 resolution to spend less time on my phone so I got a workbook for 2023. Ultimately, I do think Duolingo was more effective, especially since you get the pronunciation audio in the app, so I’ll move back to that in 2024 because I actually do want to learn Spanish! - No peer-pressured or situation-pressured alcohol: YES
I’ve never been a big drinker and hate the taste of alcohol, but found myself drinking more than I wanted to for work in 2022, so I decided I wasn’t going to do that this year. I had a bunch of mocktails at work events and overall, I only drank alcohol 7 times this year:
– February: My friend and I explored old town El Segundo and went to Brewport Taphouse in where you got to pour your own alcohol and make a beer/wine flight. It was a fun way to taste a bunch of different craft beers, sours, ciders, etc.
– March: a drink at The Pink Cabana in Indian Wells and I felt tipsy real quick that I made my friend finish. Check out my full Indian Wells/Joshua Tree girls’ trip blog post here.
– March: my roommate and I went out to JuneShine in Santa Monica for spiked kombucha (I prefer their regular kombucha) and then went to Beach and Brew in Venice to make our own beer/wine flight (I spent a whopping $8) on St. Patrick’s Day. Beach and Brew is also a full restaurant and more upscale than Brewport Taphouse.
– May: Kir Royale at Gordon’s Wine Bar in London and I didn’t hate it, but it was just ok. Check out my full London blog post here.
– June: Guava cider at trivia night at The Garage on Motor in LA. This was definitely the best drink I had this year.
– June: champagne flute on a booze cruise for work in Marina Del Rey because when on a booze cruise
– August: some sort of sour at Levitate Gastropub in Issaquah with my family for dinner that my dad finished for me.
Brewport Taphouse
In past years, I used the Done app to track progress, but they made big updates to their user interface that I didn’t like, so I checked out a few new ones for this year. I am now using the Habit Tracker app that I purchased for $6 for access to all features for life and I LOVE it. It’s very customizable and you can see your progress on daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly views. You can even have collaborative goals with other people.
