24 Hard Things in 2024

Do you set New Years' Resolutions? 

I always have. It's a cultural norm that still feels pretty magical to me, right up there with going to baseball games in the summer and booing the New England Patriots. As a teenager, most (if not all) of my resolutions were outward appearance-focused—as the origins of this blog can attest!

Sometime last year, I came across Katie Zornes' approach to resolutions. Katie is a self-described "Plus Size Athlete & Depression Warrior" and the founder of the #23HardThingsin2023 challenge. Katie's list of 23 hard things she wanted to tackle in 2023 included things like "go paddleboarding" and "make goat milk soap from our goats' milk." 

I thought this sounded so fun! I had never found true "success" by setting a handful of vague resolutions and picking just one thing to focus on for the whole year sounds...awful, frankly. Katie's challenge inspired me to go big! So I did my very own version of 23 Hard Things in 2023. 

Some of the things on my list included "try new things at familiar restaurants 23 times" (inspired by my friend Sarah) and "go outside everyday." The longer list with a variety of activities meant my resolutions stayed pretty top of mind all year round, and though I definitely didn't achieve everything on my list, I felt okay about it! Striving for them was the essence of the fun. (For instance: I ordered new things from familiar restaurants exactly 5 times. I like what I like!)  

Katie is changing up her resolutions approach this year, doing Four Hard Things in 2024. I'm sticking with the big list. So! Without further ado, here are my: 

24 Hard Things in 2024!

1. Go camping
2. Finish my thesis
3. Bake 1 new kind of bread every month
4. Take 24 photos with Mary that are frame-worthy 
5. Go 24 consecutive days without social media 
6. Read 50 books
7. Go outside everyday
8. Visit my grandfather more often
9. Practice 24 minutes of meditation every week 
10. Devote each month to the practice & intentional reflection of a yama or niyama (January is ahimsa—non-harming) 
11. Try 24 new recipes
12. Go on 24 bike rides
13. Take an art class
14. Go swimming 24 times
15. Go 24 days without watching TV (extra challenge: consecutively) 
16. Wear everything I already own (including shoes), or donate it
17. Go on 24 runs
18. Eat 24 fruits and 24 vegetables
19. Designate Fridays as the 1 day a week to purchase things online
20. Have 24 incredible meals
21. Publish a paper in a literary journal
22. Watch 24 documentaries 
23. Go on an intentional fast
24. List every dessert I enjoy, for posterity + 104 desserts challenge (my take on this) 

Though all of these things sound fun and/or feel meaningful to me, "eat 24 fruits and 24 vegetables" is the one that tickles me the most because I don't know if you've tried to list 24 different produce items off the top of your head but it's HARD! 

Have you set New Years' resolutions for 2024? 

Top picture credit (@sthefaniadelvalle)