Is your new year’s resolution still on track?
According to research undertaken by running app Strava, by now – the second week in February – 8 out of 10 people will already have abandoned their new year’s resolution/s.
I’m not really one for new year’s resolutions. I can see that the idea of a ‘new year, new start’ has a certain draw. But, equally, I feel that if you want to make some positive changes to your life, why wait until 1 January?
And, if there’s a high probability that you’ll abandon that change, because it’s too hard to incorporate into everyday life, then, maybe it’s time to start looking at channelling your best intentions into something that’s a bit more realistic – ideally something that’s habit-forming.
Let’s build some good habits
It takes an average of 66 days for a new behaviour to become a habit – something that’s so automatic, it’s done with little or no thought.
Remember the time before we all had food waste caddies under our sinks? Those first few weeks of scraping plates into these new plastic boxes felt alien. It’s now so much part of the routine for so many of us that it feels strange when you end up somewhere where peels and scraps are routinely binned along with general waste. The introduction of these things drove new habit-forming behaviours.
There’s a real link between effort and habits. Unsurprisingly, we’re much more likely to change our habits if the effort required is relatively low. Ramp it up and the habit either takes longer to form, or it simply doesn’t.
So, if you’re feeling a bit flat having abandoned your new year’s resolution, why not pick up a new, planet-friendly habit? Here’s 5 ideas.
- Recycle more Even the best intentioned of us could probably do that little bit more. And home recycling schemes make this an easy habit to get into. The bathroom might well be the best place to start. Stats show that, while 90% of packaging is recycled in our kitchens, only 50% is being recycled in the bathroom.
- Eat all the food you buy That might mean buying less food. Planning a weekly menu could be the answer. You may need to stop giving in to the takeaway that’s calling, whilst there’s still some food in the fridge. Or you could cook up and freeze some extra portions if you’ve fresh food in surplus. All ways up, it’s likely to save you money, and reduce your carbon footprint.
- Never leave home without…a drinks bottle Just add ‘bottle’ to your usual leaving the house checklist – keys, phone, wallet/purse, BOTTLE. Having a bottle in your bag or car means you can avoid buying bottled water or other drinks when you’re out. And, if it’s an insulated one, you can also say goodbye to single-use coffee cups.
- …or a reusable shopping bag A foldaway bag is easily stuffed into a bag or coat pocket and can see off hundreds of plastic bags in its lifetime. So, check ‘keys, phone, wallet/purse, bottle, BAG before you open that door.
- Think before you buy Ok, so maybe it’s a bit of an old cliché, but just taking a bit more time to think about a purchase is a really good idea. Is the object of your desires something you definitely need, and will it get enough use? Can you borrow instead, or maybe buy the same thing second hand? Can you stretch to a higher quality item, which might cost more, but last longer. Just keeping a check on impulsive consumption will be good for your pocket and the planet.
If you’re habitually doing all of this already, brilliant – maybe see if you can find some further green inspiration here. If you ebb and flow (like most of us!), aim to be on it more, to give those good, green habits the best chance of taking root in 2024.