Make your New Year’s resolutions work

Emily LaBatt, Columnist

As the holidays come to a close and the new year starts, many people find themselves making a New Year’s Resolution. According to Statistic Brain, about 75% of people end up sticking to their resolutions for only a week. It’s time to face fact that New Year’s Resolutions are worthless. What is the point of saying you will exercise more, spend less, and follow all of your dreams if it only lasts for a couple of days?

Creating a plan for what you would like to do in the new year is a better idea. You can set specific goals and try to work them into your lifestyle, instead of just deciding what you want to improve about your life and hoping it will happen overnight. According to the Huffington Post, “We’re focusing on broad goals and hopes, rather than creating a roadmap for the formation of good habits.” My 2013 resolution was to get more exercise, and because I set a specific goal to ride my bike or to take a run every other day, I was able to reach my goal.

Making your goal realistic and attainable is most important. No one can expect to see extreme results or changes in their life in a short amount of time. You’ll become frustrated and stressed if you try to accomplish more than is possible, but if you create an attainable goal and succeed, it will be easier to stick with your plan longer. Make a plan for something you can do each day, rather than over a long period of time. It is easier to focus on one day than a month or a year. We need to create a specific plan and stick to it if we really want to see any progress this year.