Making New Years’ resolutions when you’re at home is one thing, but keeping them once you get back to school…? Completely different story! Or maybe you didn’t make any resolutions at all, but are now wishing there was something you could change about yourself. Making semester goals are also helpful- and easier to manage if you’ve never been able to keep that New Years’ resolution all year long! Whatever your case, whatever your goal, there are things you can do to help yourself succeed.

If your goal has something to do with physical fitness (exercising, losing weight, generally getting your body into healthier shape) find someone else with the same goal. These are some of the most common types of resolutions, so odds are you know someone else trying to do the same thing. Get together and plan visits to the gym several times a week. It can motivate you almost unbelievably just to have someone else counting on you to be there! Get rid of all of your junk food and go grocery shopping with a friend. Have them help you stay away from the unhealthy food, no matter how tempting that candy bar in the checkout line may be! The most important things to remember with these resolutions is to have someone there with you- you can’t do it alone. And be patient. Change in your body takes time to accomplish, but if you make your lifestyle more healthy it will happen.

If your goal is something more along the lines of being more organized or being more on-schedule (whether this is with school, work, or even paying bills) it is important to remember not to try to change everything at once- this process does take time. If you want to be more organized, start with making sure your books/ notebooks for all of your classes are organized and ready. Make sure you have a system for organizing notes, handouts from the teacher (this can include lecture slides), assignments, and other material for each class. Put all your test dates and assignment due dates on one calendar. This will help a lot! Next, move to one area of your room- maybe your desk. Get rid of clutter and make everything neat and where you can find it. Do one small area like at a time- even if that means you only do one area each week. Remember the goal is to not overwhelm yourself! Once you get everything organized you want, you will most likely feel proud at the work you have done and the time you’ve invested, and you’ll be less likely to go back to your old, cluttered ways.

But what if your goal is something completely different? Although not every resolution/ goal can be catered to, here are some general things that may help.

• Find someone to hold you accountable. It would help if they’re goal is similar so you can help each other along.
• Make a plan. If you don’t know how you’re going to reach your goal you are setting yourself up for failure!
• Be patient. Remember these are New Years’ resolutions (not New Week resolutions!) Most likely, it will be a while before you see any results.
• Be realistic. If you see you aren’t going to accomplish what you originally wanted to, don’t just give up. Change it so that you have a more manageable timeline or scale the goal back a little.