It is nearing the time of New Year's resolutions. Although many think it to be a cliché, many people still make them. Reflecting on the past school year, were there things you could have done better? Is there something you want to give up, or something you want to start doing? Whatever it is, we all know that it can be difficult to actually do it consistently. Here are some tips to keep your New Year's resolution doable and attainable.
1. Come Up With a List of Resolutions
It is important to reflect on your past. It makes it so that you know what worked for you, as well as analyze things that didn’t work. For example, let's say you didn’t get the grades you wanted: did you study early on in the quarter? Did you complete assignments on time? Did you go to class? Write down a list of things you wish had went better and why they didn’t go so well. This may be helpful in coming up with a resolution.
2. Pick a Resolution
Depending on what your resolution is, pick one or two of them. Picking comes with thinking about attainability. Will this be something you can imagine actually doing, consiste ntly? Thinking about the time commitment. For example, if your resolution is to self teach yourself how to code, how long do you want to commit to it? On a day-to-day basis? What is your end goal? Answering these questions can help you gauge how busy your resolution will make you, and how that compares to your schedule for that year. This can then help you decide whether to pick one or two resolutions—the point is to not pick too many things that your resolution becomes unattainable.
3. Avoid Repeating Resolutions
The whole point of making a New Year's resolution is to become better or more accomplished than your past self, right? To become happy that you were consistent with getting your resolution accomplished, try to think about NOT repeating it the next year. That way, you can make room for even more improvement on your next New Year's resolution!
4. How to Keep Your Resolution?
We may think we will finish our resolutions because we're consistent in the first few weeks or months. Life happens, however, and our resolutions may be pushed to the side or forgotten altogether. Want to prevent this? Get a yearly calendar! If you have a tight time schedule, schedule it in daily or weekly, depending on what your resolution is. During the times you know you will be busy, schedule it fewer times, but make sure to actually schedule it sometime so that you can become closer to reaching it.
While having that resolution on the back of your mind, have a great holiday season and a happy New Year's! Hopefully your last year’s resolution was fulfilled. If not, reread these steps and try again!
