As college kids, we don’t always have the time or even the money to start working on our New Year’s Resolutions right away. What if we could make our goals more attainable just by adjusting small things in our lives? This way we can actually say that we made our goals for the year and we didn’t have to do a complete 180 on our lives. I don’t want to overwhelm you with too many things that can help to change your lifestyle, but I do want to give a couple good suggestions that anyone can use in their daily lives while in school.
The first thing you can do is set specific goals for yourself. Instead of telling yourself you’re going to drink more water, get more sleep, or even exercise more, make it about hours or even ounces. You can say, “I’m going to do cardio four times a week for 30 minutes each time” or even that you are going to get eight hours of sleep each night. Giving yourself a specific time frame or set number makes it easier to achieve your goals because you aren’t telling yourself you will do it more; you are telling yourself that you are going to do it a specific number of times.
Another goal that can really make a difference is trying to make sure you eat healthier at least during every meal that you have. Instead of grabbing that soda that you always want from the fridge, try having some ice cold water or even a glass of milk. Instead of ordering more than one of your meals during the day you can tell yourself you are going to try to cook all of your meals. This way you save money and improve on your cooking skills all at the same time. Eating healthier is just one step that can help lead to a healthy lifestyle; changing just one thing about your diet can really improve how your day goes. Why not have a great day just from the meals you are eating?
Like I said, I’m not going to overwhelm you with too many goals. Last but not least only use your credit card on things that are needed, not wanted. I know it’s easier said than done, but if you think about it you can use the money that is left over after getting the things you need. When using your credit card and paying it off right away you are not only learning to manage your money but also improving your credit score.
We want our New Year’s Resolutions to be attainable and not stressful. Find some small yet easy goals that won’t make you feel as though you will never get to where you want to be. This way you are happy, healthy, and living the life you want to live.