New year’s resolutions suck. There is an abundance of articles on this topic with just as many telling us why they don’t work as there are those offering suggestions for making them. These are the top five articles I’ve found on the topic that I actually found useful:

1. Creative Loafing can always be counted on for telling it like it is, and their recent resolution-themed “Quitter!“ is no exception. If you are still contemplating making a resolution, there are surely things on this list that you need to stop doing.
2. I admire the honesty of the Suburban Cynic. Why make promises you know you aren’t planning to keep?
3. Did you party a little too hard last night? Here’s something from The Atlantic to make you feel a little less guilty about starting your new year off hungover.
4. I couldn’t help but notice that the tips for making a good resolution in a recent blog on Clotting Street sounded a lot like a marketing plan. Any successful endeavor needs to be S.M.A.R.T.
5. Maybe just forget making a resolution for yourself this year and convince your kids to make one of these instead.

So, what’s your plan? Are you going to torture yourself making a resolution at which you’re bound to fail? Make an easy one just to give yourself the satisfaction of achieving something (I’m going to support small businesses by buying more stuff on Etsy!), or forget the whole idea completely?

Image “Resolving to Write More” by Vanhookc, CC 2.0