The new year marks a time of new beginnings and resolutions. For most people, following their New Year’s resolution doesn’t last very long.

They usually start the year with a good resolution and as the weeks go on they lose the motivation and their resolution ends up being forgotten. “I feel like resolutions only work for me if I’m actually determined to achieve that goal,” said sophomore Ishat Hannan.

The most common types of resolutions usually have to deal with people’s health. Many people set out to lose weight or eat healthier. These types of resolutions require them to make some adjustments to their lifestyle, like exercising more and cutting out certain foods.  

Improving work habits is also another common kind of resolution. Some people set this type of goal with hopes to do better in school. “My resolution for this year is to procrastinate less with schoolwork,” sophomore Tanya Jain said. “I have a major procrastination problem and I want to improve it.”

One way to keep motivated when you have a goal is to have a reminder of why you made it. Remind yourself of the reason why you set your resolution in the first place.

“In order to keep myself motivated, I sometimes write down the task that I need to complete in multiple locations so that I can push myself to complete it when I see that reminder,” Hannan said.

Another tip for successfully following your resolutions is don’t start off with making major changes. Start with smaller changes and work your way up to bigger ones. You should give yourself time to adjust to new things and the small steps make it easier to reach your goal as you progress.

Keeping a positive mindset is also a good way to stay determined. Thinking that your goal is impossible to achieve will heavily discourage you and make you lose the motivation to keep following your resolution.

“My resolution is to try new things this year and overall have a more open mind,” sophomore Elizabeth Pham said. “Having a good mindset will help me to achieve my goals.”