The new year means a fresh start and who doesn’t want an opportunity for improvement? It’s the most popular time to set goals that we’ve always had in the back of our minds but have never really worked towards. However, did you know that only 8% of people actually follow through with their New Year’s resolutions? Yep, that’s quite the disappointing statistic, now isn’t it? Well hopefully this how-to guide can help you conquer those popular New Year’s resolutions that commonly are put to the backburner once January’s over and seem to be more like “new month’s resolutions”.
1. Go to the gym
This New Year’s resolution is so popular that there’s a great chance that either you or somebody you know is planning to make it. Most people resolve to go to the gym or get into some sort of fitness habit for the upcoming new year. Most of them, though, stick to this for about a month (at most) and go back to their regular, inactive lifestyles. Approach this resolution slowly, as too much too soon can burn you out and leave you tired, sore, and frustrated. Another tip is to join a gym that’s close to you. If you have to drive or take public transportation to the gym, you’ll find more excuses to skip a workout.
2. Eat healthier
Another popular New Year’s resolution is to eat healthier. Whether this means to eat out less or to drink more water during the day, this goal is very attainable if you approach it in moderation! Start by cutting out one unhealthy habit a week, whether it be skipping a dinner out with your friends or cutting out sugary beverages. If you go completely cold turkey and just snack on celery sticks all day, you’ll be miserable and starving. Remember nothing is horrible for you in moderation so reward yourself every few weeks of clean eating with a night out. Depriving yourself of everything you love will only increase the chance of you binge-eating in the near future.
3. Stop procrastinating
Ah, this might sound all-too familiar, especially to us collegiates. How many of you are guilty of procrastination? It seems like every semester, we tell ourselves “I will stop procrastinating” but the habit just comes back to haunt us soon enough. In order to beat your worst habit, use a planner and strategically plan out when you’re going to get everything done in a timely fashion. Reward yourself a little every time you get all your tasks done. Once you get into the habit of not procrastinating, you’ll realize that not needing to stay up at 2am to finish that paper is reward enough to keep your good habits up.
4. Save money
Another popular resolution for us poor college students is saving money. Saving money can definitely be hard, especially when we have so little and there’s so much to buy. I know it’s quite the struggle to resist those Burberry rain boots in Nordstrom, but I believe that you girls have the willpower to do so! To save money, take half of what you earn/receive and put it away for emergencies. The other half of it can go into your wallet for spending but be strict when it comes to only limiting yourself to the money you have in your wallet. It is also best to pay with cash or a debit card; therefore, you won’t be spending any money that you don’t actually have. To save money on food, bring lunch from home; if you dorm, go to the supermarket and plan your meals out via groceries. It’ll average out to be much less money per meal than if you were to buy every meal in school.
5. Get involved
Sometimes, it’s easier said than done. After a long day of school, work, and/or a social life, it’s really hard to force yourself to come out of your box and get involved in extracurriculars or your community (or both!). As much of a burden as it seems, it really is worth it if you bother to put in the time and effort to find something you’re interested in. You’ll meet people that you would’ve never come across and may even discover things about yourself that you never would’ve known otherwise. Don’t overload yourself with a billion things to do at once; you’ll just burn out and feel extremely overwhelmed. Find a couple of activities that you genuinely feel like you’d be into and give them a shot. It can’t hurt to try!
New Year’s resolutions can be tricky and hard to manage; it may be tempting to give up after January 31st. However, hang in there because you’ll never regret fulfilling it. Here’s to 2015; may you all be safe and successful in the new year.