Now you are in front of us: 365 new days. 365 new opportunitiesto make life better, healthier, more effective, more active or more relaxed in the new year. No matter which resolution you focus on, it’s not easy to stick to it throughout the year. Drinking enough water regularly or being more careful with water can also be a good resolution for 2021 to support your own health and the environment.

Implementing resolutions: Perseverance is everything

The most common classic resolutions of recent years include losing weight, quitting smoking, exercising more, eating more healthily, having more time for yourself and your family and avoiding or reducing stress. However, in recent years, more and more goals have been added to the list of resolutions. Shorter online times, limited internet and smartphone activities and a focus on less consumption are catching up with the good intentions. Every resolution has its own pitfalls.

Keeping your resolutions will be easier if you pay attention to the following points:

1. Formulate a resolution as an individual goal.
2. Do not set unrealistic goals or have too high expectations of yourself.
3. Every goal should be measurable.
4. It’s better to set small goals that show results quickly and don’t overwhelm you.
5. Clarify in advance when and how a goal is to be implemented.
6. Include interim targets, e.g. to be achieved by the end of the first quarter.
7. Record your goals in writing and review them repeatedly throughout the year.
8. A commitment arises when you communicate your goals to someone else.
9. Seek out colleagues for the implementation of individual goals.
10. Also plan for “setbacks” in achieving goals due to unexpected events.
11. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you have neglected your resolution for a few days.
12. Mental strategies: Dreaming ahead of successes to generate positive feelings.
13. Imagine the worst case scenario if there is no change in behavior.
14. Place small reminders on the fridge door or at your desk, for example.
15. Write a success diary in keywords throughout the year.
16. Consider small rewards for the realization of intermediate or main goals.

There is no need to wait until the beginning of the next year to make new resolutions. It is also worth formulating new goals in the current year, especially if health, personal or professional circumstances make this necessary.

Water resolutions: Health and environment

There are a number of good intentions relating to water that could be taken into account in the new year. The main aspect for health is certainly
drinking enough water regularly throughout the day
. You should not wait until you feel thirsty to drink. Almost all health-related research institutions in Germany recommend an average fluid intake of around 1.5 to 2 liters per day. A long-term intake of less than one liter can have health consequences.

A concrete goal here could be to drink 1.5 liters a day throughout the day. A water bottle or a glass provided will help you not to lose sight of drinking. For the environment, there are two main aspects that are particularly appealing as a resolution. For one thing, plastic water bottles, or at least those that are only disposable, could be dispensed with in the new year. Secondly, everyone in the household can look at how and where they use tap water unnecessarily. A concrete goal here could be to shower for a maximum of 10 minutes, collect rainwater for the garden or balcony or install water-saving regulators in the taps. Because tap water is also valuable drinking water.