The Only New Year's Resolutions You'll Ever Need

Every January, most people make the same four resolutions. Exercise. Read more. Save money. Travel. By February, most of them have quietly given up.

John LeFevre has been writing his own lists of resolutions for more than a decade, first as GSElevator for Business Insider, then on Medium. His 2018 version, "The Only New Year's Resolutions You'll Ever Need," opened with a line only he could write:

"The last time I wrote a list of New Year’s resolutions, I recommended buying Bitcoin. That was 4,000% ago. So I thought I’d try again for 2018."

He wasn't exaggerating much. His 2016 list for Business Insider really did tell readers to "Invest in a Bitcoin wallet."

The point of his lists is the same every year. Skip the vague, recycled goals and pick specific ones that actually change how you live. In his words: "Here are the practical and timeless goals for 2018 that will fundamentally make your life better."

Here are the best of them, quoted exactly as John wrote them, with our notes.

The ones that keep coming back

Some resolutions show up on John's lists year after year. That's usually a sign they work.

Write down your goals.

"Forget your iPhone; go old school and get a physical notebook."

The 2016 version went further: "Take it a step further and make a list of what you want to accomplish each day, week, and month." A goal you write down is a goal you have to look at.

Get a comprehensive health exam.

It's on both lists, with no explanation needed. Book the appointment in the first week of January, before the year gets busy.

Read more.

"It allows you to borrow someone else’s brain."

His practical advice: "Keep it simple; make a list of five books you want to read." In 2016 he suggested Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Mark Bowden's Killing Pablo and Ron Chernow's Alexander Hamilton as starting points. All three are on his list of 100 Books Every Man Should Read.

Stay in on Friday nights.

"I go tech free, read a book, avoid the riff raff, and have a more productive weekend."

This is the most underrated resolution on the list. Friday night out costs you Saturday morning. Stay in and you get both back.

Make your bedroom technology free.

"You’ll sleep better, live longer, and have a better relationship with your partner."

Of all the resolutions here, this one has the fastest payoff. Charge your phone in the kitchen. Buy a cheap alarm clock. You'll notice the difference within a week.

Avoid extreme and unrealistic health pledges.

"Eat right, exercise sensibly, and drink mostly in moderation; it’s not rocket science."

Crash diets and 30-day challenges are how resolutions die. Small changes you can keep beat big ones you can't.

Laugh more.

"What does that mean? Socialize. Drink. Throw parties. Host game nights. Upgrade your friends if necessary."

"Upgrade your friends if necessary" is the hardest line on the list, and the most useful. The people you spend time with shape the year you have.

Don't just rely on the gym.

"Remember that feeling of playing a competitive sport as a kid, when you’re on the field, and not thinking about anything else?"

Join a league. Find a tennis partner. Competition gets you out of your head in a way a treadmill never will.

The 2018 additions

These are the resolutions that were new in 2018, and some of them are the best on the list.

Spend more time with people you disagree with ideologically.

"this is how we get smarter."

Take a vacation by yourself.

No explanation given, and none needed. A few days alone is the fastest way to find out what you actually enjoy.

Take a vow: No name-dropping or place-dropping.

This one appears in different forms across John's writing, including his Etiquette 101 rules: "Name-dropping is awful, and nickname dropping is worse."

Take more pictures with a camera.

Phone photos disappear into a cloud nobody looks at. Printed photos and a real camera make you more deliberate about what you keep.

Put your phone away at dinner.

"Checking your phone after someone else pulls out their phone is the yawn of our generation."

Make yourself more interesting.

"Take a course, class, or adopt a hobby. Don’t read about Daisy and Jay, go out and be them. Too many people wouldn’t even be the main characters in the movie of their own life."

Stop saying, "it is what it is."

It's the phrase people use when they've given up on something. Cut it out of your vocabulary and you'll notice how often you were about to say it.

Worth keeping from 2016

A few resolutions from John's 2016 list deserve a second life.

Spend more time with old people.

"Find a World War II veteran and take him to lunch from time to time."

There are fewer every year. If you know one, call him this month.

Get promoted.

"Invite your seniors out, get them into a bar and network the old fashioned way."

Skip the dramatic savings scheme.

"Keep it simple; spend less than you make, and save up for the big-ticket items until you can afford them."

That's the whole of personal finance in one sentence.

Stay in on New Years Eve.

"It’s amateur night and it rarely lives up to your expectations anyhow. This year, stay home with a bottle of something nice. Then start January 1 early and productively."

The last one

John ended his 2018 list with the resolution that makes all the others matter:

"Never forget: You die twice, once when you stop breathing, and again when somebody mentions your name for the last time. Live accordingly."

Pick three or four from this list. Write them down. Then live accordingly.

Sources: John LeFevre, "The Only New Year's Resolutions You'll Ever Need," Medium, January 2018; GSElevator, "The unofficial Goldman Sachs guide to New Year’s resolutions," Business Insider, December 2015.