Happy New Year! Team Weekend reveal their resolutions for 2020

In an age old tradition, many of us make promises to ourselves in a bid to better our personal lives as a New Year, and symbolically a new start, looms.

Exercising more, losing weight, getting organised, learning a new skill and quitting smoking are some of the most common New Year's Resolutions as researched by goskills.com, closely followed by saving more money, spending more time with family and friends, and simply living life to the fullest.

The ancient Babylonians made the first New Year’s resolutions during a festival named Akitu. The 11-day festivities saw the Baylonians make resolutions to keep themselves to appease the gods.

In the medieval era, the knights took the 'peacock vow' at the end of the Christmas season each year to re-affirm their commitment to chivalry.

At the end of the Great Depression, about a quarter of American adults formed New Year's resolutions. And at the start of the 21st century, about 40 per cent did.

The tradition continued in ancient Rome offering resolutions to Janus, and in 1951 sociologist Isidor Thorner coined the tradition of writing down your New Year's promises.

Despite many cultures throughout the centuries making these resolutions, very few of us actually stick to them. According to a study by the University of Scranton, only 8 per cent of those who make New Year’s resolutions actually keep them, and a whopping 80 per cent have failed by February - oops!

Making a New Year's resolution is a great way to make a positive change in your life, although others believe that you should make a positive change immediately and not just because of an arbitrary date.

Here, team Weekend reflects on 2019 and disclose what their New Year's Resolutions will be in 2020. We'll return in 365 days to see if they have stuck to these promises...

Rebecca Sayce

After two and a half years saving to get married, and eventually tying the knot in 2019, in 2020 I vow to give up 'adulting' for just one year.

I vow to embark on trips, go out for fancy meals, buy that makeup I've been eyeing up, and just let my hair down for 365 days after pinching every penny and saying 'no' to almost every invite for so long.

As well as this, after going sober in 2019, my New Year's resolution is to keep this up - although I will be missing having a glass of fizz as the clock strikes 12am and we say hello to 2020.

Andy Richardson

By midnight on New Year’s Eve I fully intend to be fast asleep.

There’ll be no clink, clink, fizz when the clock strikes 12 – I last drank alcohol 20 years ago – and no whispered pledges indicating a change of lifestyle, a new project, a secret ambition or a pointless resolution.

Resolutions are for mugs. They almost never work. If you want to get on a make a change, built a habit and watch that grow. Not for me the disappointment of January 4 when the resolution unfolds.

I’ll keep things simple - tell the ones I love that I love them and look forward to a brand new dawn.

Heather Large

I want to finally catch up with those friends I haven't seen for a long time.

We keep saying we must find the time to do it but the weeks and months seem to slip by faster and faster.

And before we know we're getting the Christmas card address books out again and making do with seasonal greeting by post. Don't get me wrong this is a nice tradition, but it's not just the same.

So 2020 will be the time for making these plans become a reality, for having a proper get together and catching up on those lost years.

Cathy Stanworth

Following a really tough 2019, when some of those closest to me were lost, and bad luck seemed to haunt my family, 2020 will be a year to take on lessons learned along the way.

I will no longer take anyone I love for granted. I will no longer pretend to like those I don't, out of politeness. I will no longer ignore red flags in a relationship, because it is easier to do that rather than follow my gut instinct.

And I will no longer tolerate individuals who are blatantly out for all they can get, happily stamping on other people's lives along the way.

Dan Morris

My resolution for this year is simple – make more time to do absolutely nothing.

A wise bloke once told me that doing nothing is a skill that few are able to master, and doing it properly at least once in a while is the key to true relaxation, good health and a happy mind.

Who knows, but it sounds like it's worth exploring. And it'll be less of a heartache than giving up the fast food and the fags... Though perhaps not literally. Let's just take things one step at a time...