They used to say about Abba Dioscurus that his bread was made of barley and lentils, and that at the beginning of each year he would set himself with some new task of ascetic excellence, saying, “This year I will not converse with any man,” or, “I will not speak at all,” or, “I will not eat food which hath been boiled,” or, “I will not eat fruit,” or, “I will not eat vegetables.” He began each year with resolutions of some kind and carried them out, and each year he set himself some new task.

Paradisus Patrum