“Give-Up January”
In the spirit of “New Year’s Resolutions,” we pick a behavior that we want to change during the month of January. This might mean totally giving up something for the month: alcohol, fast food, TV, Facebook, sleeping in, or criticizing others. Or it might mean adding a positive behavior: exercise, healthy food, or sharing our appreciation of others. If this change involves something that we can’t totally give up, like eating or email, we might adopt a limited-use program. For example, we might vow to eat three meals a day with no snacks, or to only check email once a day. Whatever new behavior we decide on, we begin at midnight on December 31st, and continue through January 31st.
A few tips:
- Make your plan in December.
- Be specific. If you want to “stop sleeping in,” define exactly what you mean. Maybe you could say, “I’ll get up every weekday at 6 a.m.”
- Make it a challenge, but not overwhelmingly difficult.
- During January, reflect on your relationship to this behavior. Why do you do this? Are there any positive benefits that you get from the behavior? Is there an alternative way to get this same benefit?
- If you choose to reintroduce the behavior on February 1st, try doing this in a more balanced and moderate way.