I will admit, I am not one to write down or follow New Year Resolutions but this year, I decided to write and stick to five goals for myself. I didn’t make my resolutions super specific because if they were, I knew I wouldn’t accomplish them. I stopped writing resolutions for a long time because I never remembered what I wanted to improve on but wanted to make some changes this year.
When January came, I wrote some resolutions in my journal and even incorporated them into my weekly routine once my spring classes rolled in. I wanted to share what new activities I do each week and how my resolutions help me be more productive and active during the week!
My first change I made was making a checklist for each day when I wake up. For Christmas, my best friend got me a checklist planner and told me she found it super helpful during the school year. After I got it, I began writing down daily goals I wanted to accomplish for each day. Whether that is finishing assignments, running errands, or grabbing some coffee, I continue to write down what I wish to do. If I don’t do everything on my list, I tell myself it’s all right and try to weave it in with my next day to see if I could still try to do what I wanted to.
This next thing is something that I find really hard to do: spend less money. I love driving to McLain’s Market and Starbucks for daily coffee runs and have been trying to limit myself each week (let me tell you, it’s so hard!). To help me spend less money, I started recording what I spent during the week and even tried something new for my coffee addiction. I started buying 40 oz coffee bottles from Starbucks at Target which last me a week! While drinking that at home, I leave my house less for coffee and save a lot of money!
My third activity I try to limit every day is my phone use. I know this is bad but so far, I haven’t made any improvements. I love being on Snapchat, FaceTime, and Tiktok and need to find ways to lessen my screen time. I know that I could honestly delete the apps but if I do, I know I will just redownload them the next day. What I started to do is delete apps off my home screen so I can’t physically see them without searching for them in the search bar. I found that really helpful but I also found that not spending time on social media right when I get up in the morning helps me be more productive (especially during school days). I started to just check the time and weather and get out of bed so I don’t get tied into liking posts right when I get up. I found it more relaxing especially because I get more time in the morning to prepare for my classes!
I have mentioned this next activity multiple times before but having a communication routine with my friends has made my weeks even better! It’s so nice looking forward to talking to someone once or twice a week to catch up (especailly when you both have to rant!). My best friend and I started to do weekly FaceTimes after classes on random days of the week to just chat and have social interaction. Since she goes to another college, it’s nice to see how her week goes because I don’t get to see her in-person as often as I wish I did. Along with FaceTiming, I have been sending daily messages to my other friends and even began my spring letters for the semester!
My last and favorite activity I continue doing is writing in my journal every week. Taking the time to sit down during Sunday or Monday mornings to recap how the week went and share stories is something I have loved doing for such a long time. Journaling has allowed me to relax, take a breather, and have fun remembering all the good (and bad) events that happened. Writing weekly has been such a fun routine for me and I definitely encourage others to start journaling for fun. It’s so much fun but also a great way to share stories and rant when you have something on your mind!
These five activities I began doing have worked so well for me once classes began and if any of them interest you, I hope you try to take one of them on! I have found them super helpful and I do believe that these changes have improved my productivity and mental health!