The Top 6 Best New Year’s Resolutions for a Fulfilling 2024

The new year offers a fresh start and opportunity to set goals that will improve our lives. New Year’s resolutions provide motivation and a plan to become healthier, happier, more productive, and better overall. However, with so many potential resolutions to choose from, it can be tricky to select ones that are impactful yet realistic enough to stick to all year long.

This article will rank the top 6 best New Year’s resolutions to make for 2024. We evaluated numerous popular resolutions and narrowed them down to the ones projected to be most beneficial if achieved. We also included expert tips on how you can truly commit to each resolution, arranged from least to most challenging. Read on to discover goals tailored to various areas of life, from self-care and relationships to personal growth and life enrichment. With focus and dedication, 2024 can mark the start of your best year yet!

What Makes a Best New Year’s Resolution?

When setting resolutions, it’s important to establish goals that are specific, achievable and personally meaningful. The top New Year’s resolutions have a few things in common:

• Specific – The resolution clearly defines what you want to accomplish.
• Achievable – It’s realistic given your schedule, abilities and resources.
• Relevant – The resolution matters to your values, health, relationships or personal growth.
• Has Action Steps – Concrete actions are defined to work toward the resolution.
• Measurable – You can track your progress and stay accountable.

Following these criteria sets you up for resolution success. Review the below top 6 list to find resolutions that meet your needs and abilities in the new year ahead.

6. Focus on Sleep Health

The first resolution that can significantly improve mental and physical wellbeing is focusing on sleep health. With so many daily distractions and bad sleep habits formed over years, insufficient or poor quality sleep is incredibly common.

How Much Sleep Do You Need?

The National Sleep Foundation provides these recommended sleep duration guidelines based on age group:

Age Group	Recommended Hours of Sleep
Newborns (0-3 months)	14-17 hours
Infants (4-11 months)	12-15 hours
Toddlers (1-2 years)	11-14 hours
Preschoolers (3-5 years)	10-13 hours
School-age (6-13 years)	9-11 hours
Teenagers (14-17 years)	8-10 hours
Young Adults (18-25 years)	7-9 hours
Adults (26-64 years)	7-9 hours
Older Adults (65 years and over)	7-8 hours

Most adults need 7-9 hours per night. If you don’t fall within that range, improving sleep duration and consistency can profoundly impact your resolution success and even lifespan.

Tips to Improve Your Sleep Quality

Here are helpful sleep hygiene tips:

• Maintain a routine – Go to bed and wake up at consistent times, even on weekends
• Limit blue light exposure – Avoid screens at least 30 minutes before bedtime
• Make your room cave-like – Cool, dark and quiet settings promote better sleep
• Avoid large meals, caffeine or alcohol before bed
• Only use your bed for sleep/intimacy – Train your body to associate it with rest

Committing to the fundamentals of sleep health is essential for achieving all other New Year’s resolutions on this list. Make rest a priority in 2024!

5. Develop Healthy Eating Habits

Closely following sleep health is the resolution to develop healthier, more mindful eating habits. With massive portion sizes and endless food options today, it’s easy to overeat or binge on processed junk foods. This resolution entails:

• Consuming more fruits, vegetables and whole foods
• Portion control
• Cooking meals at home
• Limiting sugar, sodium and unhealthy fats
• Staying hydrated by drinking more water

Changing lifelong eating patterns is very challenging. Here are some tips to stick to healthy eating resolutions:

• Meal plan/prep to prevent grabbing fast food when busy
• Control portions by plating meals instead of eating directly from packages
• Have healthy snacks easily accessible – Cut up veggies, fruits, nuts
• Read nutrition labels to make informed choices
• Allow occasional treats – Deprivation often leads to binging

Even slightly improving your daily nutrition bolsters health and energy levels to better pursue all other resolutions.

4. Reduce Screen Time

Today’s world is overwhelmingly digital. The average American spends over 10 hours daily consuming media. Much of this screen time is excessive and unnecessary. Too much television, social media, gaming and browsing can negatively impact:

• Sleep
• Attention span
• Memory
• Mental health
• Vision health
• Physical activity

Reducing recreational screen time improves health and creates more free time for other resolutions.

Tips for Reducing Screen Time:

• Remove screens from the bedroom – They impair sleep quality
• Power down devices during meals – Be present during eating
• Set usage limits on your devices
• Replace online time with offline activities – Hobbies, socializing, reading physical books, exercising, etc.
• Take regular screen breaks – Step away from devices throughout your day

Cutting back screen time opens up hours to invest in priorities like relationships, activities, passion projects and wellbeing.

3. Foster Stronger Relationships

Humans are hardwired for connection. But in the busyness of life, relationships often get deprioritized. The toll of loneliness and weak social ties is enormous – carrying the health risks of smoking 15 cigarettes a day!

This resolution can involve:

• Spending more quality time with existing friends/family
• Calling or visiting elderly relatives more often
• Scheduling video calls to keep up with long-distance loved ones
• Pursuing new friendships through hobbies, clubs, places of worship or community events

Strong social connections relieve stress, improve mood and cognitive health. Nurture your relationships in 2024!

Tips for Strengthening Bonds:

• Initiate meetups – Don’t just wait for others to suggest plans
• Be fully present when together – Avoid distractions from phones/TV
• Have meaningful conversations – Ask thoughtful questions
• Listen actively without thinking about your response
• Express gratitude for people and why you appreciate them
• Support others by lending a hand when challenges arise

Little gestures go a long way toward feeling connected and cared for. Prioritize people this year.

2. Advance Your Career

Many New Year’s resolutions focus inward, but this one looks outward – to growth opportunities with work.

Advancing your career could involve:

• Asking for a raise/promotion
• Applying for new internal roles you’re qualified for
• Sprucing up your resume to change companies or industries
• Enrolling in classes to gain skills
• Reaching out to network and build connections
• Joining a professional association in your field

Progression often requires stepping outside your comfort zone.

Tips for Advancing Your Career:

• Define specific goals – What’s the next position or salary you want?
• Outline the skills required and make a learning plan
• Polish your resume and online profiles
• Practice interviewing even when you aren’t job hunting
• Develop a professional brand on LinkedIn

Growth keeps job satisfaction and income high. Invest in your earning potential rather than stagnating.

1. Improve Your Finances

Another external resolution tied closely to career success is improving your overall financial standing – spending less and saving/investing more toward goals like retirement, a house, college funds, travel dreams, etc.

While not as exciting as other resolutions, getting your money right relieves stress and expands opportunities now and for decades to come.

Areas to target include:

• Creating and sticking to a budget
• Paying off loans/credit cards
• Establishing an emergency fund with 3-6 months’ expenses
• Boosting your credit score
• Increasing retirement account contributions
• Automating deposits each pay period into savings goals
• Investing outside retirement accounts

Even marginal progress goes far over years of compound growth.