10 Life-Enhancing Resolutions & How to Stick to Them
Achieve your New Year’s resolutions by making your home the ultimate happy place.
A new year ushers in a whirlwind of joy and optimism. Goodbye, last year; Hello, fresh start. Accordingly, as 2017 begins, so do the many ambitious goals people set.
You decide to exercise daily, clean out those overflowing closets, and turn that spare bedroom into the craft room you’ve always wanted. Yes, this will be your best year yet.
Then, as the daily grind of everyday life sets back in, your enthusiasm slowly subsides. Those once exciting goals fade more and more with each passing day. But don’t worry; your goals won’t be gone forever. They’ll resurface again, all bright shiny and new—next January.
Always the same old resolutions. How to make goals stick.
The same resolutions tend to come up every year because people are excited, take on too much all at once, get discouraged, and eventually give up. Research shows only about nine percent of people achieve their New Year’s resolution. Obviously, a ninety percent failure rate is not great odds.
Although true, it doesn’t have to be this way for you. If you’ve made too many lofty resolutions in the past and abandoned them all, you need a different strategy.
Four tips to help you avoid goal fatigue:
Focus on achieving one resolution at a time
Pick a one-word feeling and ask, what’s the goal that will give me that feeling
Reward yourself for accomplishments
Take a break between tackling goals
Many of the most common New Year’s resolutions—eat healthier, get organized, and be happier—can be accomplished by improving your biggest asset: your home. Here are ten life-enhancing home goals that let you begin the year in a more content space—and with a sense of accomplishment.
10 Life-Enhancing Home Resolutions for the New Year
1. Get Physically Fit
Every year the most common resolution is the same: get fit and lose weight. Gym memberships and attendance skyrocket in January and then steady decline as the months pass.
If you're thinking about joining a gym, consider the hidden costs of a gym membership: fees and the time factor. Add your commute to and from the gym to your workout to see how much time you’re investing. Also, if you're paying a monthly fee but aren't going regularly, you're basically paying to not go to the gym.
Rather than joining a gym, convert an underutilized area, such as your basement, attic, or a spare bedroom, into a personal workout space. You’ll have everything you need for an active lifestyle in the convenience of your home. Also, you won’t be able to make excuses like bad weather, not enough time, or having nothing cute to wear.
Naturally, the resolution to eat better goes hand in hand with the previous goal. Research shows cooking and eating at home is better for your health.
Proven benefits of cooking at home versus eating out at restaurants:
Consume fewer calories, saturated fat, and sugar
Decrease risk of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes
Save money
Influence children’s eating habits positively
Helps you disconnect from a long day at work and digital devices
Has therapeutic effects and may help treat depression
It’s a pleasure to cook in your dream kitchen using state-of-the-art appliances. For example, steam ovens cut down cooking time and make food healthier for you and your family.
When you're doing all of that healthy home cooking, you'll want comfortable places to sit down. A spacious dining room located near the kitchen area makes it easier to have precious family meal time. Also, open design homes with large islands and gorgeous family rooms invite families members to spend time together while completing everyday tasks.
Dining Room in Traditional Kitchen with Pantry (K-83)
4. Better Financial Decisions
Get organized and have a better handle on your finances with a dedicated space devoted to your paperwork needs. Also, a home office helps create a better work-life balance. As more people are working directly out of the home, a home office space is an investment in your financial success.
Now's the perfect time to toss the clutter and focus on a fresh start.
Here are three smart tidying tips to help you get started:
Donate outgrown toys and clothes to your favorite charity
Store off-season items in storage bags and bins
Go high with extra shelving or use the back of a door for storing shoes and accessories
Did you know? You can print FREE shipping labels to send boxes full of donations to Goodwill! Simply take some of those holidays boxes, fill them with clothes and toys and household goods, print out free shipping labels, leave them out for USPS or drop them off at UPS. Easy peasy and generous.
Research proves that roughly 40 percent of our happiness comes from our deliberate decisions and relationships. Thus, happiness is a choice we can make.
Here are seven small steps to help you get on the path to happiness:
Smile and laugh more often
Be grateful
Spend time with happy people
Engage in simple acts of kindness
Exercise
Deepen social connections
Get a better night's sleep
Speaking up for what you want can transform everything in 2017. For example, look around your home and think about which rooms you'd like to update.
Ask yourself: What will I wish I had done ten years from now?
Having something to look forward to—like a new kitchen or bathroom—can significantly boost your happiness.
7. Go Green and Save Money
Tips to cut energy usage in your home and shrink your bills:
Add features to your laundry room to line dry some of your clothes
Wait for your dishwasher and washing machine to be full before running them
The easiest way to increase your home’s perceived curb appeal is a new front door. Everyone should have a door they love, and now it's easier than ever thanks to the DoorWays™ App from Therma-Tru.
The DoorWays App helps you design and visualize the perfect entrance for your home and is available in the App StoreSM and Google Play StoreSM.
9. Relax
Begin and end your day in a new spa-like bathroom and decrease stress. Also, if you're a technology fan, the best anxiety apps of 2016 may be able to provide additional support.
Are you so frustrated with your small kitchen that you’re considering demolishing it all to start your remodel from the ground up? Unfortunately, not everyone has the budget or the space for that chef-worthy kitchen of their dreams. If that’s your reality, don’t despair! There’s so much you can do with a small kitchen footprint. […]
Is your closet is out of control? It’s time to take action. You set aside some time to organize your clothes but when it comes time to actually do it you end up completely stumped. It doesn’t seem like a big deal at first but when you’re surrounded by piles of clothes, it can get […]
Color is so popular right now that some are calling it the new neutral. Bold, colorful modern bathrooms are one of the top trends in 2020. Your instincts may tell you that bold color would make a small space look even smaller or dated. But today’s color trends aren’t like the pastels of the 1980’s, […]
Fill out the form below and we will reach out to schedule a time to meet. Meetings will be set in the order they are received, so do not delay. We look forward to helping you create your dream Kitchen or Bath!
Due to increased demand, we have made a waitlist to ensure that everyone can have a one-on-one consultation with one of our designers! Fill out the form to join our waitlist and we will get back to you as soon as we can!
The workers are quick and efficient. They got the work done earlier than expected and did a good job cleaning up the work site afterwards. I am quite pleased with the end result.
Kay
I was so pleased from start to finish! Love my updated kitchen. All the people associated with my kitchen renovation were great and so professional! Thank you!!
Linda
We at Harrisburg Kitchen & Bath are monitoring the COVID-19 situation closely and we are taking the necessary steps to protect the health and well-being of our employees, our current customers, and the community at large.
Industry Experience:My father has run his own construction company since 1992, and because of this I have been involved in the remodeling industry nearly my whole life. I’ve been with HKB since 2018.
Favorite Part of Your Job: I truly love helping people – whether by keeping things organized behind the scenes, ensuring we have everything we need for each project, or assisting with creative problem-solving. It brings me so much joy to be part of such a great team who are passionate about improving people’s lives by reimagining their living spaces!!
Fun Fact About You: I’m a self-published author, a self-taught artist, and a gigantic Star Wars nerd.
KATE EVANS
Industry Experience: Starting in 2008, I have been in the construction and remodeling industry in multiple capacities: project coordination, management, design, and sales. I have been with HKB since 2020.
Favorite Part of Your Job: I greatly enjoy getting to know our customers and being a part of their kitchen and bath transformations. It’s an honor to be a trusted partner and see the impact that our team's hard work has on someone’s home.
Fun Fact About You: I’ve tap danced nearly my whole life and have been awarded national recognition. I’ve also recently added dance instructor to my tap experience by teaching and choreographing locally for the last two years.
TIM HOOVER
Industry Experience: I have been in the business as a designer and sales person since 1986, and I have been with HKB since 2020.
Favorite Part of Your Job: To be challenged to create something the homeowner never expected and absolutely loves!
Fun Fact About You: Enjoys golfing, playing poker, and cigars!
DAVE RADER
Industry Experience: Since entering the kitchen & bath industry in 1988, I have worked in all aspects of the industry including manufacturing, design/sales, representing independent manufacturers, and owning a retail kitchen & bath showroom. I have been working with or employed by Harrisburg Kitchen & Bath since 2020.
Favorite Part of Your Job: Helping customers make their dream spaces come to life! Especially enjoy working with older homes from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Fun Fact About You: I enjoy traveling to other parts of the world. Most recently visited Australia in 2019. I have been to all continents except Antarctica! Next on my bucket list.