At the beginning of each semester, we set the typical get straight As, go to the gym every day, eat "healthy," and study five hours a day kind of goals for ourselves.
#newsemesternewme, right?
Some of these goals have great intentions behind them; however, many of them just aren't fully obtainable or are just too much to ask for on a daily basis: trying to be "healthy" by going without ice cream really isn't enjoyable, studying five hours a day is impossible, and straight As aren't always achievable.
Instead of stressing over goals that we usually fail to meet, here are four obtainable resolutions that are not only doable but also may just contribute to your overall sense of productivity!
1. Write in a planner.
Every new school year, I go and spend a lot of money on a cute planner with the goal of keeping my life organized, only to write down my plans for about a week and then completely neglect my intentions. Personally, I have never found many benefits in keeping a planner, as I tend to set reminders on my phone for important dates. However, it has been scientifically proven that physically writing things down, whether it be notes, ideas, or in this case, plans, helps us to be able to recall them more effectively than if we were to take them down electronically.
You don't have to color-code everything or write down every detail of your day from the moment you wake up – simply keep track of assignments, events, or things you are seeking to accomplish that day.
2. Keep your dorm room/apartment organized.
This is probably one of the most difficult resolutions to keep, as when our schedules become crazy, so does the appearance of our room. However, the environment we are surrounded by contributes much to our mental state and productivity, as well as to our sense of feeling organized. By keeping your space tidy and organized in a way that allows you to have space to work and gives you the easiest access to your necessary materials, you may just find yourself being more productive. Plus, it just feels better to be living in a room that is decorated and organized in a way that pleases you.
Sometimes doing something as small as making your bed each morning or putting away your clothes at the end of the day makes a big difference in contributing to keeping your room feeling and looking neat.
3. Realize that stress is manageable.
Stress and college: these two words could be seen as almost completely synonymous due to all that is on a student's plate. With classes, homework, clubs, tests, and friendships, there is a lot that one could stress over, and most choose to stress over most, if not all, of these things. However, while challenging and stressful times, classes, and situations are inevitable, it is important to understand that stress is under your control: you are ultimately in control of how much stress you place on yourself, and you are only as stressed as you allow yourself to become. Instead of allowing the weight of stress to become overwhelming and cause you to go into a complete withdrawal from the world, recognize that stress is a controllable feeling, regardless of the situations you may be faced with.
4. Write down the good things in each day.
It sounds incredibly cheesy, and I'll fully admit that it is. However, keeping track of the small, happy things in the day drives you to focus on the positive rather than the negative. You don't have to write these down in any fancy form or as a journal-style entry; you could simply put a dash followed by the positive remark as I do. The size of the event does not matter: it could be as big as receiving an unexpectedly great test grade, or as small as the fact that you turned on your oil diffuser this morning with a scent that you love. There will be both positive and negative factors in each day, but choosing what you focus on is ultimately in your control.
