New Year’s Resolutions are like arranged marriages. 

Society might say you need to do it, but it seems like such a big commitment, and you’re probably not quite sure about the whole scenario.

Instead of choosing a New Year’s Resolution – which can be daunting and pressure-ridden – do this instead.

The Power of Ten

What I like to do is forget what day it says on the calendar and simply set a “10-Day Resolution.”

Something simple, actionable, and doable. 

Why ten days?

A few reasons. 

A 10-day resolution provides more opportunities to hone in and focus on the chosen resolution rather than a 7-day commitment — let alone a whole year. 

For me, a week is just not long enough to really dig into a new habit or activity in a meaningful way. 

There seems to be a mental barrier in our minds – likely from years and years of attending Monday through Friday school and jobs – that allows us to “forget” last week’s efforts and continue with our long-ingrained habits.

10 days is just long enough to break through that mental “one-week” barrier and let your mind know that you’re really doing this thing.

10 days will let you get a real feel for what implementing this new habit is like, while not being too daunting to commit to. 

Multiples of Ten

It’s often stated that you need to do something for 3 weeks (or 21 days) to make it become a habit. 

I think that’s good general advice, though I would argue that it takes even longer to truly make a new habit stick. 

Here’s where the mind game starts to take over. 

After completing one 10-day streak of commitment to a new habit or activity, if you felt it was helpful and useful you can simply do another 10-day streak. (After all, it wasn’t sooo bad the first time, right?)

After the second 10-day steak you’ll find yourself at a precipice. 

You’ll be 20 days into the traditional “do something for 21 days to make it a habit” timeline. 

At that point, you have a choice. 

Is it really worth sticking with this habit for another 10 days? 

If so, by the time you finish that third 10 days you’ll be on a 30-day streak! That’s well beyond the 21-day recommendation for long-term habit development.  

If you decide after 20 days you don’t want to continue with your chosen commitment you haven’t wasted an entire year(!), or even a month on it. 

But you’ve exercised your commitment muscles much more than you would have if you had only done a 1-week commitment. 

10-day commitments strike the perfect balance between committing long enough to give it a good chance and not committing for so long that the entire process feels daunting and makes you want to fold right off the bat. 

Try it out. 

This year, create resolutions that not only last, but do what they’re meant to do in the first place – help you truly improve your life for the better.

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