20 in 20 New Year’s Resolutions 2020

Welcome to 2020, a new decade, and here I am again breaking my steadfast five-plus decade tradition of making resolutions. And what better time than in a new decade?  Read on for a look back at 2019 goals and a look ahead with my 20 in 20 New Year’s Resolutions 2020.

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20 in 20 New Year’s Resolutions 2020

Welcome to a New Year AND a new decade – 2020! This is the perfect time to take a step back, refocus, and reset. Maybe even set a few goals, which we may or may not magically accomplish, because frankly, the odds are against you.  Before January is over, the majority of resolution-setters have given up. Science says, in general, 92% of all goals fail, while U.S. News Report gives success rate for New Year’s resolutions at 80%.  Yikes.

I first outed my New Year’s resolutions in 2018 and then again last year in 2019.  While I plan to look back at past years’ resolutions (and you that old saying, hindsight is 2020), I will repeat many. Yet Tis the season to make NEW New Year’s resolutions! Here I am again in the new decade with my 20 in 20 New Year’s Resolutions 2020. Read on!

Kicking 2020 Up a Notch: 20 in 20

The key this year is “20 in 20.” Multi-tasking isn’t for sissies, but this year, I want to slow down and focus. Focus on the moment at hand. I’m the all-in-kind-of-girl, but I easily get distracted. Case in point, while writing this blog post to this point on the page, I’ve gotten distracted more than a dozen times: fetched something for my hubby, grabbed a yogurt for breakfast, jumped over to social media, answered a text from my daughter, etc….

My first New Year’s resolution 2020 is to stay focused on a task for 20 minutes, and in order to do that, I may need to set the timer. Whether it’s writing this article, reading a book, exercising, or whatever, focus for 20 minutes. For other long term goals, my focus is 20 days, ie de-cluttering something every day for 20 days, exercising for 20 days in a row, etc.  Ready to get this 2020 party started?

Take One Day at a Time

It’s easy to get overwhelmed especially when life is SO busy!  I’m going to continue taking one day at a time. Pausing (as in above) to enjoy the moments and reflecting more often to take one day at a time.

Be Thankful

This continues to be a recurring theme for each year’s resolution — be thankful. Life gets so busy as time ticks by. This year I’d like to be more mindful about appreciating life. I have a great job and I love to write. I have an amazing and healthy family: my husband, five adult children, all successful and happy, and eight grandchildren. I am truly blessed and thankful. My morning mantra will begin with giving thanks.

Be Kind to ME!

Be kind to ME first. I would like to be less critical of “me” and more embracing of who I am, because geez, I am over 50!  And I challenge you to do the same! Be kind to yourself first. Because if you’re not happy with you, how can you be kind to others?

Be Kind and Considerate to Others

Again, this is a repeat from both 2018 and 2019. After I’ve taken care of myself (see #3!), I want to be kinder and more considerate to others.

Be kind to my spouse. My children. My Grandchildren. My Parents. My Sisters and Brothers. All my family. My neighbors. My friends. Be Kind to Strangers. Be Kind to Animals. Pay it forward when I can. I want to become more considerate and thoughtful of others’ feelings, wants, desires, goals, etc.

Listen More

This has been on my New Year’s resolutions every year, and I am still a work in progress. I want to listen more. Be better and pausing first to listen.

Say I Love You More Often

I feel I already do this, but I don’t want to stop saying I love you to my hubby, friends, and family. Because I do and I am thankful to have such an amazing tribe!

More Date Nights with Hubby

I’m keeping this important resolution!  The end of 2019 was SO busy!  We are focusing again on being together, alone, not always with friends and family. More date nights with hubby – check!

Spend More Time with People Who Matter

I don’t have to like everyone. For that matter, not everyone has to like me. That’s okay because I’m going to spend more time with people who matter and who want to spend time with ME!

Travel More

I love to travel — which is why I write about travel.  But it’s more than the journey. Travel inspires me to be a better person. To appreciate other people and their cultures. Traveling with my family is also inspiring to me as we spend more quality time together when we travel as there are no distractions.

One year ago in January, my extended multigenerational family of 22 spent a weekend in Grand Lake, Colorado. Last year spring break, my hubby and I traveled my oldest daughter, her husband, and my two teen grandkids on a bucket list vacation to the Big Island of Hawaii.  In June, my grandson and I traveled to The Bahamas for a skip-gen vacation, and a chance to spend one-on-one time together.

Pick Up the Phone

Last year, my “day” job was crazy, working 60 plus hours per week. My mission to pick up the phone more often wasn’t a total failure, but not a total success either, so it’s back. No texting! I have many family members and friends who live outside my Denver area. Plus with working so many hours, getting together in person isn’t always feasible.

For my New Year’s resolution in 2020, I’m going to apply the “20 in 20” rule to pick up the phone and spend 20 minutes connecting with my family and friends.

Join Weight Watchers

How do those 10-20 pounds sneak back on each year?  Geez! It’s a team effort here at our home, so again both my husband and I (as well as my still reluctant live-in elderly mother-in-law) plan on eating healthier this year. I’ve already signed in to Weight Watchers to re-up for another season.

Want to join me on Weight Watchers? Click here for one free month for you…and one for me.) We are also determined to make better healthier food choices this year. In addition to the great recipes on the new WW app and desktop, we’ve got our Weight Watchers cookbooks and some of our favorite dishes on the menu.

Exercise More

Last year, I did exercise more…until this past fall, when my hours at the day job warped into way too many hours away. I did walk more often, and I plan to bring exercise more and bring an exercise routine back into my schedule.

This is an opportunity to apply the “20 in 20” mindset, exercising for 20 days straight will bring this into a healthy habit.

Choose Health

While this may seem like a duplicate of Weight Watchers and exercising, my goal is to “choose health” as often as possible. Routine doctor’s visits. Choose meals that are healthy. I do love wine, but I will choose to drink less frequently. Be conscious of those choices. I will not drink and drive. I will park my car farther away from the grocery store, in order to up my number of steps on Fitbit. Drink more water. So many options to choose my health!

Procrastinate Less

Since I’m compiling my New Year’s Resolutions 2020 and publishing five days after the first, you can see how well this is going. But still, I’m going to put this out there, because if I don’t say it out loud, or write it down, then I can’t own it, right?  Procrastinate less — that’s me!

Volunteer and Pay It Forward

This continues to be important to me.  Volunteering for local charities, spearheading fundraisers, and paying it forward to those less fortunate than me.

Each year, I organize a chili cook-off at a local sports bar for the Burn Unit and/or Burn Camp at Children’s Hospital, and in 2019, we raised $850 in one afternoon! Our friends hosted an evening during the holidays at their home, and each guest was invited to donate to a needy family. Our group of friends raised $700 cash for a single mom and her teen moms.  Each time we passed the Salvation Army donation bucket, we dropped cash in. There are so many ways to make a difference in my community.

Read More

I have always enjoyed reading. This is another repeat of the last two years’ resolutions and one I kept!  And want to continue. I can devour one book in a few hours, especially when I travel. Yet this past year, I also devoted quiet time to read a book at home. This is another opportunity for me to initiate the “20 in 20” rule and devote 20 minutes to reading a book for 20 days.

Although I still enjoy the feel of a book, lugging around a half dozen books takes space out of my suitcase for other important items. This year I bought a new Kindle Fire tablet. On long flights, I pre-load with all the books I could possibly read — and then some.

And since I also still LOVE holding books in my hand, this year I made the decision to join the Book of the Month Club.  Click this link to join with me.

Continue Debt Free Journey

I have been focused on decreasing my debt for over a year now. In 2019, I decreased my debt by almost 40 percent AND I paid off my car!  The journey to completely debt freedom continues in 2020.

Save More, Spend Less

In addition to decreasing my debt in the last two years, I also saved more and spent less in 2019.  I was able to maintain a savings account for emergencies, and I paid cash for nearly everything I bought including travel.

De-Clutter and Organize

Last year, the Queen of Tidying Up, Maria Kondo, inspired my re-organizing and decluttering. I removed SEVEN bags of clothes from my home (donated to local Goodwill), and purged FOUR boxes from my closets and kitchen. I’m still a work in progress and plan to continue tidying up my office, returning to my closets and other rooms again.

Reduce Stress

And now I’m to the last of my New Year’s Resolutions 2020, and I find it interesting that reduce stress is last on my list. Mmmm. In retrospect, I feel that if I adhere to the 19 resolutions already listed that this will reduce my stress as well.