It's the beginning of the new year, the time where we reflect on all the bad parts of ourselves and make goals for the upcoming year to be a better version of ourselves. Whether or not we actually follow through with those self-reflective goals is another story. The key to meeting your "new year" goals is to start with little irritating habits we all have instead of defaulting to the big "I want to lose weight" "I'm going to eat healthier this year" or "I'm going to get the best grades" etc. Here are a few little habits you can easily start to break in 2016.
1. Sleeping past 11 AM. This is a lot easier than it sounds and will make you feel so much better relating to productivity and energy levels. Sleeping into the afternoon may seem ideal, but doing it everyday wastes so much time you can spend being productive.
2. Getting less than 8 hours of sleep. Okay, this also might sound a bit hard but I swear with a little planning, you'll get some sort of routine down. I understand that we are all students with a lot of sh*t to do, but getting less than 8 hours of sleep has real negative effects on our health.
3. Ordering late night food. Most of the time, you're not even hungry. Sure, every once and awhile go wild and order that extra-large cheese pizza, but limit that to once a month, if that. You can do it, I promise.
4. Strictly drinking coffee -- give tea some love. We all tend to rely on coffee a little too much. And I know most of you pour in five Splenda packets and more cream than there is coffee, so switching over to a cup of tea might not only help with your energy levels but save you a few calories, too.
5. Get good grades, but also don't let it consume you. It's important to do well in school and there's nothing more gratifying than seeing your hard work translate into an awesome grade report, but don't be afraid to live a little. Don't let your studies completely consume you so you don't have a social life anymore.
6. And vice versa, party in moderation. It's important to learn to have a balance, it's something we all kind of learned about our freshman year but still struggle with. It might not be the best idea to stay out drinking the night before your 8 AM exam, just saying.
7. Actually try keeping up with a planner. We all always have the basic semester goal to get a planner but hey, let's actually try to use it this time. I swear to God these things are a life saver.
8. Be better at keeping touch with those outside of your college bubble. I know I'm not the only one that can get wrapped up in my busy college schedule and forget about the people who matter to me outside of campus. Especially whenever we come back to campus, we tend to only have the narrow focus of what's in front of us, but don't forget to text your best friend who goes to another school every once and awhile, or even your parents.
9. Stray away from your classic "go-to-class and then nap" routine. It's tempting, believe me, I know and maybe a nap is necessary sometimes but don't make this a daily routine. Center this year around productivity and ways you can increase it. Think about all the stuff you can get done during that sleep time, that way you have more time to sleep at night.
10. Keep a well-balanced plate. Don't put too much on it, put just enough. You don't want to be lazy and not join any activities, but you also don't want to do every single thing that you come across. Be a busy person, but don't take on too much where you feel way overwhelmed and stressed. Being busy is good, but know your limits.
Who's ready for a kick ass 2016?!
