Nudge Your Way to a Happier New Year

You can pretty much bet I’ll be thinking about planning and goals for the new year all this month. I was particularly struck by a friend who had a very productive 2021, but decided an overall goal for 2022 was to be happier.

With that in mind, I liked this very British list from The Guardian overall, though –besides the very British parts needing some translation to one’s own country– there are some that I must note a difference with:

• #4 – I’m all about the first part of bringing fruit to work. The fruit in bed –especially the graphic– makes me wonder if the Guardian staff have some weird kink they feel should be more mainstream than it actually is (Michael Palin notwithstanding).
• #5 – Is this a British thing or a non-American thing? Because I’m pretty sure many people would love to go down to a four-day workweek, only that’s not an option.
• #8 – Dear Lord, no. Don’t do this to me. I hate texts enough and I can read fast. Don’t do this unless the person receiving them will enjoy it.
• #99 – Is this a British thing? I would just make the bed quite nice.

On the other hand, I support the following.

• #4 – As mentioned above: viva fruit at work. Fruit as snacks or even dessert aka something-sweet-after-dinner-because-you-can’t-do-cheesecake-or-ice-cream-every-night-come-on-now.
• #7 – My gardening skills remain mainly in the realm of destruction, but I try and grow more each year.
• #9 – Definitely something to put on the to-do list.
• #11 – Absolutely yes. And slowly get rid of those horrid florescent fixtures as you can.
• #12 – Really overdue for more of us than we all probably care to admit.
• #15 – I’ve been doing this for some time and heartily recommend it.
• #27 – Yes.
• #30 – Oh, so thrilling.
• #46 – A dialect/voice teacher advocated reading poetry aloud regularly and I find it quite good.
• #78 – Oh yes. And if you can be sure your first day back from work isn’t Monday, definitely do so.
• #91 – I’m not the only one to advocate this, the entire State of Wisconsin advocates it. It is both just and right (assuming it isn’t deadly to your digestive system).

Odds are your lists of “don’t agree/definitely agree” with the Guardian’s list will differ, but the important thing is that this is a great month to consider small ways to make your life a bit nicer.