5 New Year's Resolutions for 2025

When I was looking up statistics for my New Year’s column for Ojai Monthly a couple of years ago, studies showed that folks usually give up on about 80% to 90% of their resolutions shortly after making them. While researching the column this year, it seems like not much has changed. It turns out that most of us still have difficulty maintaining resolutions because we often make the goals too ambitious, too vague, too focused on depriving ourselves of things we enjoy, or too divergent from our current lifestyles.

Respondents to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in 2024 (pewresearch.org) reported that most of their resolutions were focused on health followed by finances, and then dropping down to a bit more than half reporting that they wanted to work on personal relationships or hobbies and other interests.

These are all worthwhile pursuits, of course, and will surely be on my list of intentions for the coming year, but I always find that my intentions also lean heavily towards home improvement and organization, community involvement, and finding new homes for things I no longer need. If that sounds familiar, then here are a few more resolutions to consider for this year’s list.

1.    Improve the defensible space around your home.
The destruction caused by recent fires is a good reminder that we all need to keep wildfire risk reduction in mind throughout the year. One thing we all can do is create a defensible space around our homes or improve the defensible spaces we have already created. This might include choosing fire-resistant plants for landscaping, trimming trees away from your roofline, moving firewood away from structures, and using non-flammable hardscape materials like gravel, paving stones, bricks, and concrete.

2.    Commit to better home maintenance.
It is easy to forget regular home maintenance tasks like cleaning refrigerator coils and testing smoke detectors, but these tasks help keep our families safer, make our homes cleaner and more efficient, and help protect our investments. Set calendar reminders to clean refrigerator coils every six months, dryer vents at least once a year, and gutters at least twice a year. Reminders can also help you remember to have your chimneys inspected and cleaned before you start using them each winter, to change your furnace filters every one to three months, and to test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors regularly.

3.    Support local businesses and contractors.
Home improvement and organization projects often make it onto our list of resolutions each year, so if you are planning renovations, repairs, upgrades, or big organizing projects, be sure to shop locally and hire local contractors to build community and support the local economy.

4.    Increase community involvement.
This can take many forms, which means everyone can find some way to become more involved in the local community or communities that are meaningful to you. This might include setting up a monthly donation to a cause close to your heart, checking out locally owned restaurants and shops, volunteering with community organizations in person or remotely, or joining local community groups.

5.    Clear clutter for a cause.
If clearing clutter is on your list of resolutions this year, consider donating household goods and clothing to local charities. One way to help locally is to donate items to 2nd Helpings Thrift Store (841 East Ojai Avenue). Making donations here provides a way for local families to acquire lower-cost necessities while also supporting the work of HELP of Ojai.  

Happy new year, everyone! May 2025 be filled with love, joy, prosperity, health, and adventure for you and your loved ones!

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AimeeJo Davis-Varela is a freelance writer specializing in real estate, sustainable home improvement, eco-friendly landscaping, and green living. She is also the owner of Mind Your Manors, which provides second home management services.