Personally, I like to set semester goals rather than new years resolutions. I find them to be much less daunting and easier to realistically accomplish. Here are a few semester goals you can set to be successful in your studies, social life, and personal endeavors:
1. Plan Ahead
With your planner in hand, gather all your syllabi from your classes and write down every major due date, project, and test. By writing these in your planner ahead of time, you’re more likely to stay on top of long-term projects and avoid all-nighters by forgetting test dates.
2. Hobby
Find something you love to do and dedicate a few hours a week to it. Whether it be reading, writing, painting, knitting, or even Pinterest-ing; giving yourself that time to clear your head and do something you love will keep you from being overwhelmed by the not-so-fun stuff.
3. Stay Active
Grab a friend and head to the gym. Group fitness class schedules are posted online and can make working out a lot more bearable. If you prefer going at it alone, swim some laps at the SRC, take a run around campus, or even look up a workout video online. Staying active will boost happiness and confidence levels immensely.
4. Dinner Dates
Set up weekly dinner dates with a friend where you try out Pinterest recipes and (attempt) to eat healthy. Having a routine for one thing can often lead to the formation of routines in other areas like homework, or working out.
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5. Dress for success
I am a firm believer that if you look good, you feel good. If you get into the habit of waking up every morning and getting dressed in a cute outfit, I promise it will make a difference in your day. You are much more likely to be productive if you aren’t wearing pajamas to class everyday. Picking out outfits the night before make it easy to wake up in the morning and get out the door with very little effort, but still looking great.
6. Social media
Now is the time to clean up your social media. When applying for jobs and internships, employers will check up on you; they want to know what you’re like and you need to know they’ll like what they see. Change your settings to private on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, or at least remove pictures of you holding a red Solo cup; trust me, it’s frowned upon in the professional world.
7. Save
Start saving your money now. If you have a job, take a percentage of every paycheck and put it in a separate savings account that you don’t touch. If not, try to pick up odd jobs like babysitting, or even driving beeper to make a little extra cash. Even if you don’t have something in particular to be saving for, you never know when something will come up and you’ll be glad to have some spare change on hand.
8. Be Professional
Whether you’re graduating in May and looking for a job, or just interested in a summer internship, start planning your summer endeavors now. Utilize websites like LinkedIn to look for jobs and contact companies you would be interested in working for even if they aren’t hiring. Showing initiative and making contact can help you stand out and you could be a potential fit for a job opening down the road.