By Tyler Mercer–
Every year we all make a list of the things we would like to change about our lives. We look at what we’re doing wrong or what we don’t like about ourselves, or our lives, and we decide to make a change. Personally, I always say I want to excercise more, better manage my time and save more money. However, each year it seems as though many of our resolutions simply don’t stick.
I’ve wondered for a long time why stick with my resolutions for a few weeks until I miss a few days at the gym or slack off on the weekend. Those few skimps ruin my resolutions and I can never seem to get back on track. I’m sure that most of you experience the same frustrations that comes with failing our New Year’s resolutions.
When defeat sets in, we lose motivation to start back up and power through the down times. Most of the time, I can get in routine and make time in my schedule to go to the gym every day. This good routine could go for a couple of weeks before anything messes it up. Then one day, I’ll be too busy to work out and I need to rest that day. I will forget to even go to the gym the following day. Then I start forgetting to make time for it at all. As I get out of routine, other parts of my day-to-day get off track as well. I won’t read an assignment or something along those lines and then everything just falls apart. My routine is out the window and so is almost every bit of motivation. Without that incentive, I begin to doubt myself and feel like I can’t get back in the saddle.
So what can we do to power through our resolutions for 2013? Here’s my plan: Instead of starting out the year saying how I’m going to give up sodas or that I’m going to work out every day, I’m just trying to get used to the new year. I give myself time to get adjust to my new class schedule so that I know how much studying time to commit to each class. After January, I’ll put my resolutions into action.
Hopefully by the time February comes around, I will be full swing into my classes and other responsibilities. As my schedule starts bulking up with extra ways to improve myself, I plan to schedule time for rest. Giving myself one day a week without strenuous activities will allow me to devote time doing things I actually enjoy.
To make that happen, time management is key. You need to get all of the important things done before that day comes around. For me, that means no procrastination. When something is assigned, do it early or break it into smaller, more manageable tasks. The feeling of having earned that day off will be well worth it. Hopefully, that feeling of accomplishment will motivate you to follow through with your other new year resolutions.
Remember to find ways to keep yourself motivated. When you lose your motivation, you won’t want to even try to pick your resolutions back up. Look back at why you’ve failed resolutions in the past and try not to make the same mistakes.
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Photo: Flickr/StevenCummings
