I know most people share their resolutions at the very beginning of the year, but I like to take the first couple of weeks of the new year to really think about what changes I want to make in my life. I find that when I really take the time to think about a resolution and maybe even give it a little test run, I'm far more likely to actually stick to it. So now that I've taken a little bit of time to decide what I want to accomplish in 2015, I'm finally ready to share!
1. Be more productive and procrastinate less.
This is the one resolution that has been on my list for the past few years and that I'm unfortunately still having a hard time with. I've always been a bit of procrastinator, but I got really bad my last few years of undergrad and still haven't managed to kick the habit. Hopefully this year will be the year I can get those procrastination tendencies under control. As I keep telling myself, if I learn to use my time more productively, I will be less stressed out and have more time to do things that I actually want to do.
2. Be more punctual.
I'm happy to report that I'm actually doing really well with this resolution! Similarly to how I seem to be a natural procrastinator, my natural arrival time is always late. I remember being like this even as a kid, but the older I've gotten the more I've realized just how bad of a habit and how rude it is. So I've been making a really active effort to get out of the house earlier than I would normally find necessary and am actually enjoying arriving to class without feeling rushed and frantic.
3. Read 30 books.
For the past two years, I've attempted the
Goodreads 50 Book Reading Challenge and sadly have yet to complete it. Because of my school work load, I highly doubt that I'll be able to complete the 50 Book Challenge this year either, so instead I've decided that reading 30 books will be both a challenge and yet much easier to achieve.
4. Do one art project a month.
If I had my way, I would stay home every day from class and just paint and draw the day away; unfortunately, I have a lot of other things I'm supposed to be doing! So I've decided to set a goal of one art project a month because as much as I need to be more productive, I also think it's important to make time for creative releases.
5. Do yoga every day.
I've been practicing yoga on and off since I went off to college and I do not know if I can explain how much of a difference regular practice makes in my every day life. Not only does it serve to stretch out and tone my body, but I also find that yoga is a fantastic stress reliever and mood lifter. I'm also not a fan of "working out" or going to the gym, so I love that all I really need to practice yoga is a yoga mat and YouTube. Almost all of the yoga routines I do are created by the amazing Tara Stiles and you can access them all on her
YouTube channel.
6. Blog and vlog regularly.
This is another resolution I've actually been doing fairly well with so far! Not only do I have so much fun creating both posts for this blog and videos for
my YouTube channel, but I find that incorporating these activities more regularly into my schedule keeps me focused. I've always been most productive when I have a lot to accomplish and really need to use my time wisely. In undergrad, for example, I was most productive the year that I was taking the max amount of credits and working two jobs. So by trying to be really consistent with both creating posts and videos, I can fill in my schedule and almost trick myself into being more productive and procrastinating less. As weird as that all may sound, it's actually starting to work!
What were some things included in
your New Year's resolutions?
