Tips to keep your 2019 New Year’s Resolutions

Junior Jessica Rumsey cleans out her band locker as part of her New Year’s Resolution Jan. 8. Rumsey has decided that in the new year she is going to be more organized and is hoping to stick with it throughout the year.“My New Year’s Resolution is to stay more organized because I think it’s in my nature to be disorganized. I hope that my friends will help keep me honest, but I will keep up with my resolution mainly by making sure that I put things back once I am done using them,” Rumsey said.

by Emily Wilson, Editor
January 11, 2019

People across the nation participate the trend of creating a New Year’s Resolution and have done so for hundreds of years. Yet, according to U.S. News, as much as 80% of the population gives up on their resolutions by the second week of February. Follow these few simple tips to learn how you can be successful in your resolutions this year.

Be Specific- It is important to make a concrete goal that is attainable but will push your limits. Instead of just stating that you want to lose weight, be more specific and say exactly how many pounds you want to lose and by when. Adding specific ways you will achieve your goal also makes is more effective.

Achievable- Your goal should not be so far-fetched that it is unattainable. So, set a goal that you know you can achieve within the year. For example, if you want to lose 30 pounds in one week, that may not be realistic, however one to two may be. As the year goes on and you fall into a routine, you can change your goals accordingly.

Keep track of your progress- While results will not come magically overnight, if you stay persistent with your goal, the results will be worth the work and time. It lets you know how far you have come and what more you can gain by sticking with your resolution.

Samantha Schuttler ‘21 poses with her phone in the band hall Jan. 8. Shuttler’s resolution is to be on her phone less each day and hopes that it will help her communicate more face to face. “My main New Year’s Resolution is to break my phone addiction. My phone was becoming a big part of my everyday life and destroying my day to day face time conversations with friends and family and I wanted to change that. I updated my phone and got an app that tracks your time on your phone and you can set time restraints so I’m doing that to help minimize time on my phone,” Schuttler said.

Make a Routine- The New York Times suggests to create a plan. By answering these few questions, you can fix a bad habit and achieve your goals by first addressing the problem and figuring out how to solve it. Follow this easy template from The New York Times to help.

Bad habit: What habit do you want to change? Ex: I eat too much junk food throughout the week

High school bad habit: Eating too many Brenda’s cookies

Cue: How do you known that this habit needs to change? Why do you want to change it? Ex: I have gained weight and my skin is breaking out

High school cue: My lunch balance drains quickly

Reward: What does this bad habit do for you? Ex: I don’t have to cook at home and it is easy and fast

Highschool reward: Brenda’s cookies are yummy and a quick easy snack to eat in class

Way to change the behavior: What can you do to break this habit? Ex: I am going to go to the grocery store once a week and pick out healthier meals to cook at home

High school way to change the behavior: I am going to limit myself to two cookies a week