It's been a hard year. Coming off another hard year. So when it comes to New Year's resolutions, we need some easy wins. To help, we've created a lighthearted list of what we're calling Low Effort Resolutions. Think: the lowest of low-hanging fruit. These are goals you can reach without hardly needing to lift a finger and improve your physical and mental health in a teeny-tiny way.

The sameness imposed by the pandemic left a lot of us confused about what day of the week it was. Tuesday seemed just like Friday, and we always were disappointed when we got up the next day and discovered that it wasn't Saturday. One way to ease back into the practice of keeping track of what day it is is to start by focusing on which month it is. And if that's too abrupt a start, work on tracking which season it is. (Yes, our weather can make this tricky, but we're talking about hockey season vs. baseball season.)

The next time you prepare dinner, say this out loud: "Nothing gives me greater joy than feeding my family." It's best to do this after the Totino's Party Pizza comes out of the toaster oven steaming hot, and you're slicing it into tiny squares of love. Throw a bag of baby carrots on the table, and pat yourself on the back for providing sustenance for your loved ones.

Someone actually wrote a book about the good things that can flow from doing a little thing like making your bed every day. And the nice thing about this resolution is that you can check it off the moment you wake up to greet the new year. Or at least after you've gotten some coffee. By lunchtime, for sure. If you don't get around to it until just before bedtime, it still counts.

This resolution doesn't restrict your ice cream consumption. You can eat a whole pint if you feel so moved. All it's saying is: Don't eat straight from the container. Resolve to use a bowl. You'll feel so civilized. And you can always refill it, if need be.

Dress better (or, at least, not so bad)

A lot of our clothing habits slipped when we started spending all our time at home. Once a week, find something to wear other than a sweatshirt, and accent the outfit with pants that don't have an elastic waistband. For overachievers, trade the slippers for shoes (extra points if they are part of a matched pair).

Our brains thrive on stimulation. Finding new ways to challenge yourself can be good for your cognitive fitness, strengthening your ability to learn and adapt. This can be as simple as doing an everyday task with your non-dominant hand. So try brushing your teeth with your opposite hand. No need to do so every day, just when you feel like it.

It's been two or so years since your last cleaning and maybe it's time to put another on the calendar. And if you're dreading it, the good news is it's just setting the appointment for now. We didn't say you have to schedule it and go anytime soon. Well, maybe sometime in 2022 would be great. But only if you're ready. Baby steps.

It's winter, and it will be winter for the next five months. If you don't have a hat, or can't find it, or your cat has confiscated it and is currently kneading it with its adorable paws, you can substitute a hood, a scarf, a polarfleece gaiter, or even (if you are creative) a sweater. Stay warm out there. Or not.

You know that drawer that has accumulated miscellaneous items you've been meaning to sort in a "throw" or "keep" pile? Make this the year you tackle that daunting drawer. Then you can brag about doing some "thorough cleaning."

It's way easier than it sounds. Keep an envelope somewhere handy. (Hey, that newly cleaned junk drawer might work.) Fill it with little reminders of everyday events — a theater program, the vet bill for the time the dog ate a mouse, a wrapper from a chocolate someone gave you. At the end of the year you'll have a time capsule you can explore with the family.

We fail to achieve New Year's resolutions at an alarming rate — the vast majority of us drop them within a few weeks. Research conduced by the fitness-tracking app Strava reviewed 800 million user-logged activities to determine that most people had abandoned pursuit of their new goal by Jan. 19 (the company dubbed it "Quitter's Day"). So don't bother making resolutions this year. Then you won't feel bad when you give up on them so quickly.

Rachel Hutton is a general assignment reporter in features for the Star Tribune. 

Connie Nelson is the senior editor for lifestyles for the Star Tribune. 

Richard Chin is a feature reporter with the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. He has been a longtime Twin Cities-based journalist who has covered crime, courts, transportation, outdoor recreation and human interest stories.

Laura Yuen is a features columnist for the Star Tribune. She explores parenting, gender, family and relationships, with special attention on women and underrepresented communities. With an eye for the human tales within every news story, she calls forth the deeper resonance of a story, to humanize it, and make it universal. She loves opportunities to expand the narrative of what it means to be a person of color in Minnesota.

Laurie Hertzel has worked at the Star Tribune for more than two decades as an editor and writer. Previously, she was a writer and editor at Minnesota Monthly magazine and at the Duluth News-Tribune.

Jeff Strickler is the assistant features editor for the Star Tribune. He has spent most of his career working for the Variety section, including reviewing movies and covering religion. Now he leads a team of a reporters who cover entertainment and lifestyle issues.

Nancy Ngo is the Star Tribune Home & Garden Editor.

James Lileks is a Star Tribune columnist. 

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