Written by Annie Zygmunt
Many people look forward to December because of Christmas. Others dread the hectic energy that Christmas can bring. Yet once the festive period is over, we often feel fulfilled and empty at the same time. A lot of the time we look back at the year that went past, and wonder what the year ahead will bring. Will it be anything like the one before? Instead, we can channel those energies into lists.
Photographed by Caitlyn Raymond | Modeled by Allison Davis
The so-called New Years Resolutions
Rather than hoping for the upcoming year to be the same or even different, many people make goals as to what exactly they'd hope for. These are the so-called New Years Resolutions.
Why do we bother with them?
The easy answer would be that they can help us keep on track throughout the year. Sometimes even give us something to look forward to.
So how do you come up with them?
First step is to think about what you would like to achieve in the year ahead. Make sure they're small, achievable goals. For example, if you're looking forward to moving out soon, you can set a few goals throughout the year. One instance could be to save up a certain amount of money by the end of the year; this could be saving up for 3 months of rent to begin with. Or for another example, if you want to improve your health, set yourself goals such as limiting takeout to twice a month, or walking for at least 15 minutes a day.
Chances are that you'll pass some goals before the end of the year. Remember that they're your goals, so you can always update them. I'll use myself as an example on this.
I've recently gotten affiliated on Twitch, so some of my goals may look like this:
Reaching 150 followers by June 2023 (currently at 115). If I pass that goal by June, I can alter/add a goal to reach 200 followers by December 2023.
The List
With that said, let's get started on making our lists. Here are some examples (a few I may have mentioned throughout this article) to help you get started, or at least give you some ideas. These will include different types of goals for different hobbies too!
Write at least 1,000 words of a novel (or other type of writing) a month
The reason this is achievable is because it is only a maximum of 35 words a day! You can also instead set the goal daily instead, for example aiming for 50 words a day.
Walk/exercise for 15 minutes to an hour a day
Remember that you can always do more on the day if you have the time to do so! Be sure to take rest days into consideration.
Limit ordering / buying takeout to twice a month
You can change this number as you please. However, remember that four or more takeouts a month equals a takeout or more a week, which will help with neither saving money nor improving your health.
Save up an x amount or % of wages
For example, you can aim to put away a specific amount such as £75 or a certain percentage such as 10% of each monthly wage to go towards a goal you have set further down the line. You may also instead change this into an overall savings at the end of year instead. For example aiming to have £1,200 saved up by the end of the year.
Reaching x amount of followers/subscribers/videos as a content creator
Just like in the example I gave of myself, you can aim for a certain amount of followers or subscribers on a platform (or a few), or even the amount of videos you make. Let's say you have a YouTube channel, you may aim to post one video a week, on the same day, at the same time every week in order to optimise being seen.
So sit down, make a rough list of your goals, and then go back over them and make a timeline or a set limit for each of them. Put them in a place you can see daily to keep yourself motivated. You can also make a plan of some sort to keep track of them. For example ticking the days you achieved your goal on the calendar in your room. Did your 15 minute workout every day for the past three days? Tick, tick, tick! Took a rest day? No problem, give it a cross.
Take your time, have some fun, and enjoy making tiny steps towards your future!