'Ins and Outs' list: new year's resolutions are a thing of the past

BY: COPELAND WELCH / Managing Editor

At the dawn of a new year, the gyms are a bit more crowded, the produce section at the grocery store is more sparse and people tend to have a little more pep in their step. In the past, this has been a result of people feeling motivated and committed to achieving their new year's resolutions, but 2024 has put an interesting twist on the timeless tradition: an “Ins and Outs” list. 

The concept is simple: you draft a list of habits you want to implement into your life and ones that no longer serve you or you want to break. The lists often vary in length with some being as short as five and others having 20 “Ins and Outs”.

My 2024 "ins" encompass various aspects of my life. A few ins include journaling more often, getting more movement on a daily basis and spending less money on unnecessary items. On the flip side, my "outs" include saying “hate,” and sleeping late. 

Implementing an “Ins and Outs” list is a fantastic way to become more self-aware of the habits that are no longer beneficial and brainstorm some ways to develop new behaviors and routines.

Karson Miller, a senior communications major at Tarleton State University, is one of the many individuals who made an “Ins and Outs” list. Her “ins” involved working out, reading and getting more involved on campus, while her “outs” included being on her phone too often, being unproductive with her free time and eating foods that are not nutritious. 

“I think it’s good to develop new, better, healthier habits and also try to break some of your bad habits,” Miller said. “New year, new me, everyone wants to create a new self at the start of a new year.”

Miller has advice to offer anyone who created an “Ins and Outs” list,

“Remember how keeping with the ins and outs will make you feel, how you will grow and develop and how you will see improvements in yourself from breaking off those bad habits,” Miller said.

With the new year evoking change in the hearts of many around the globe, it comes as no surprise that an “Ins and Outs” list would become a trend in 2024.