No more New Year's resolutions

Why are New Year's resolutions hard to keep? Why does the burst of motivation wither in the blink of an eye? The answer lies in the kind of resolutions that you make. New Year's resolutions are mostly about deprivations the reason why they are doomed to fail. New Year's Resolutions have never worked for me.  I have not successfully followed through or accomplished any of them in the past. So why continue investing in something that is bound to fail? When 2019 dawned, I decided to throw the rulebook out of the window to set attainable, actionable, and effective short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals for myself.  I will start off with weaning myself off WhatsApp without uninstalling the application. It is a clear goal that does not require gargantuan will power.

WhatsApp - A necessary evil

The purpose of communication, digital or otherwise, is to elicit action, convey information, or express a point of view. However, a deluge of WhatsApp messages keeps competing for my attention every day, and often I give in without an iota of guilt. Such interruptions drain a lion's share of my time and energy every day.  As much as I love the way WhatsApp has made digital communication simple and affordable, I hate its ability to get people hooked to its charm.  Neither this ubiquitous chat application nor the users owe me a living. Still, a pointless sense of obligation forces me to reply to every message that pops up on my screen. I don’t believe in ignoring messages entirely but pitting a time limit will reprieve me from the snare of WhatsApp ‘addiction’. I will not stop relishing the advantages that WhatsApp brings to the table; instead, I will cut back on the time spent and reclaim the control without going cold turkey.

I have set a goal that is significant enough to stay committed and consistent. It is real and achievable. I am not roping myself into a challenging commitment that I cannot keep. The more simple and specific my goal is, the more likely it is that I will accomplish the goal within the timeline. Any major change that I intend to make overnight is equivalent of trying to tame a wild horse and expecting it to oblige. It will not happen. Or, I will constantly fight the temptation to break the resolution at every turn.