Photo Courtesy of Wix

2023 is right around the corner and you may be hoping for an even greater year than the last, so get your goals ready as we help you navigate the New Year in 4 steps:

1. Understand why

You have to be realistic about what you want to achieve. You don't have to have a long list that spans out across the year. Analyze your situation. For example, how many tasks do you already have to do each day and how long do they take? The busier you are, the more exhausted you will start to feel, so how much more can you handle without feeling burnt out? What specifically do you want to change or improve? How many goals are important enough to stick with?

2. Plan in advance

For example, your goal could be to spend more time family. Starting with that, plan what activities you could do together, when and where. For instance, watch a movie after dinner on Fridays. Or your goal could be to have better sleeping patterns. For example, for one week, read a paperback novel instead of playing on your phone one hour before bed and see if it improves. If it does, you can extend that goal.

3. Take your time

It's completely okay to slow down and reassess your situation. Maybe one goal isn't working out for you, and it's okay to quit if you need to, but you may not want to. Is there anything you can change about the goal to make it easier for you to stick with? For example, your resolution could be to change your diet. Changing it overnight could be difficult for your brain and body to process, and with this type of goal, it's shown all over the internet, which makes it easy to quit.

Take slow steps to achieve this type of goal. Remember, you have an entire year to achieve this goal. The fact that you start it is amazing!

4. Be happy

You don't need to complete your resolution, but you should want to. Finishing the race always feels great, but it's a big challenge and being a part of the race is what counts. You have chosen to take steps toward a better future that will make you happier. If you're starting to feel less happy or burnt out, and you've tried to change your goal or situation, you can ask for help from someone who's doing the same challenge.

Remember that you don't need to set new goals every year, so you could have the same goal for as long as you want. If you've lost faith in your resolution, instead of quitting altogether, why not try replacing it for something that would feel more worthwhile and bring back your happiness?

Deanna (or "Nana Barratt") is an MA Creative and Media Enterprises graduate from the University of Warwick. She previously studied Popular Music, but decided to take a different career path into writing. She now writes about music, the TV and film industry, and East-Asian culture, and gives student advice and lifestyle tips.