How To Make Realistic Goals For 2020

So in complete contrast to Maddie’s last article, I am not a sucker for New Year’s Resolutions. I’m still stuck on thinking of a year in terms of a school year rather than a calendar year. For me, January doesn’t always feel like a time of renewal.

If you feel the same, it can be difficult to even come up with big goals for the new year, let alone stick to them. In my opinion, creating huge, life changing resolutions is literally setting yourself up for failure. A year is a damn long time to commit to and stick to doing things one way - just think about how much you’ve changed since January 2019.

However, you may find yourself wanting to make lifestyle changes but feeling overwhelmed if you don’t know how you’ll achieve them. The solution: deciding on a plan of action that goes along with your general or vague resolution. In this article, I’ve taken popular New Year’s Resolutions and suggested actual actions that will help you reach your goals in 2020.

If Your Resolution Is To Eat Healthier, Try Cooking More Often

What does it even mean when we tell ourselves we’re going to start eating healthier? If you’re like me, it means that every time you eat a burger a little voice in the back of your head will say, “dude, you should eat a salad tomorrow” for the rest of the year. Instead of making a general decision to eat healthier, decide on a plan of action like cooking at home more. Just cutting down the amount of times you order out can seriously improve how healthy you feel.

If Your Resolution Is To Destress, Try Meditating Every Morning

Does anyone else get stuck in a cycle of telling themselves they’re super stressed and doing nothing about it? Sometimes it can be hard to step back and allow yourself some time to just relax, but ya gotta do it unless you want to become an overworked monster. An easy way to take a meaningful break without wasting too much time? Meditation apps! Apps like Headspace offer guided meditations even as short as 5 minutes so that you can get some peace of mind and get back to work ASAP.

If Your Resolution Is To Work Harder, Try Using A Planner

I know you already know that organization is the key to success, but what you might not know is that everyone has a different form of organization that fits them best. If you’ve tried using planners and calendars and still can’t get it together, maybe it’s time to try something else. You might need text notifications or reminders over written notes. Maybe you’d benefit from a task organizing program, like Asana or Trello. If your resolution is to get more done in 2020, your first goal should be to find what type of organization works best for you.

Hopefully you now feel a bit more confident about reaching your goals for 2020. If not, you can always try again next year.