New Year’s resolutions really don’t need to start until at least the second week of January (at least that’s what I like to tell myself). Although I’m mainly writing this as an effort to manifest these changes, below you’ll find the six specific resolutions I intend to work on throughout 2023.

Reach at least a basic comprehension and conversation level in Swedish.

Ever since I was young it’s been a dream of mine to be able to speak the mother tongue of my mother. I always wanted to learn it in secret so I could show up at my Mormor and Morfar’s summer home and be able to eavesdrop on what my family was saying when communicating in Swedish. Although that window of time has since passed, I still would love to learn more about the dynamics of the language and gain a baseline level of understanding of it for whenever I travel there in the future to see family. Duolingo has been integral in helping these efforts, as the app doesn’t hesitate to remind you to make daily progress, even if it’s just for five minutes.

Max out on my yearly Roth IRA contribution.

If you’re reading this and don’t already have a Roth IRA, this is your sign to take yourself over to Vanguard and set one up while they still exist. From what I’ve picked up from I Will Teach You to Be Rich, it’s more important to invest in one as much as you can, and as early as you can, than maxing out the contribution every year in your 40s due to the power of compound interest. I just want to make sure my 60-year-old self can live out her years in peace.

Take myself out on a date at least every other month.

The thought of being alone scares me sometimes. Because of that, I want to work on getting better at this year is not being afraid to do things alone in public. Whether it’s going solo to the High Museum or taking myself out to a nice dinner, I want to go on at least six fun activities that are usually reserved for couples so I can get out of my comfort zone more regularly and grow a more stable relationship with myself.

Follow The 2/3’s Rule when leaving the house.

When I was wondering how I could consistently have the opportunity to experiment with my style I was met with the perfect answer from a friend: The 2/3‘s Rule. The premise of The 2/3‘s Rule is to help you look and feel put together without too much fuss. It entails choosing between having your makeup and hair done, makeup done with a good outfit or a good outfit with your hair done. I’ve followed the rule for the first week of school so far and it’s surprisingly made me more excited to take on the day.

Floss every night.

After years of pent-up guilt from lying to my dentists that I floss daily and having my first cavity filled this past December, I’ve come to the conclusion that this old habit will die hard. A method I’ve been using from Atomic Habits to make the habit stick is squeezing this practice into something I already automatically do daily. I ultimately ended up deciding to maximize the time I spend waiting for a serum to dry before applying moisturizer during my nighttime skin-care routine. In the past, I would pass the time by scrolling on TikTok or overthinking something I said earlier in the day, but now I instead focus on cleaning my teeth.

Become a nose breather.

On the topic of teeth health, it came to my attention when I was getting said cavities filled that my gums are more susceptible to inflammation because I breathe out of my mouth. Not only that, but I’m also one of the most difficult people to have a slumber party with because I snore like a “freight train” (thank you Shea for that reference). My fingers are crossed that training myself to breathe out of my nose, even though sometimes it feels like I’m suffocating, will solve almost all of my problems.

💘 Hanna