A new year is often the beginning of a 2.0 version of ourselves, or like many of us like to say, “New year, new me!” As the calendar resets, we promise ourselves to foster healthier habits, give up the not-so-healthy habits and commit to all the goals we set for the rest of the year.
Like a lot of people, I also like to reflect on what went well in the previous years and what I would like to improve further to ensure my personal growth. While it’s good to try and develop new habits, it’s equally a nice idea to maintain habits that have been working in your favor.
Let’s take a look at some of my goals for the year and the habits that I (hopefully!) plan to keep this year.
Taking Time To Do What I Love
Everyone has their own hobbies to make them feel better. I have always found relaxation from reading. Taking out time regularly and devoting it to reading is a habit that particularly worked well for me in the past years, and I would love to maintain it this year as well.
The best way for me to be consistent with reading is to read before I sleep. For any of you who want to be more consistent with reading, choose any time of the day when you aren’t occupied with tasks and chores, and make sure you read during that time every day.
Another way I am consistent with my reading is by setting a reading goal at the beginning of the year, and tracking how much progress I am making to keep me motivated. I use an app called Goodreads that helps me set a reading goal and update my progress. It tells me if I’m on track or not, and that allows me to read more.
In 2023, I read 24 books and this year, my goal is to read 30 books. Let’s see how that goes!
Staying Hydrated
When it comes to drinking water and staying hydrated, I lag behind more often than I would like to. There are many benefits of staying hydrated, so this year I hope to drink more water and reap the benefits of staying hydrated.
One way I plan to keep this goal is to keep a tally of how many bottles or glasses of water I drink every day on a whiteboard. This way, I am constantly aware of how much more water I have to drink and it could then be a source of motivation for me.
Asking someone to supervise or constantly check up on you can help you be more alert and may push you to drink that last glass of water needed to stay hydrated.
Having a Better Sleep Schedule
As college students, we all know how tough it can get to constantly seek high grades and do well in exams. We often compromise sleep in our quest to achieve good grades. According to The Sleep Foundation, most college-aged students require seven to nine hours of sleep.
I have my good days, but there are days when I wake up and want nothing more than to get that one extra hour of sleep. So this year, I want to ensure my sleep schedule is more consistent and that I get enough sleep because I have noticed how a lack of sleep can affect my productivity during the day.
The best way for me to do that is to manage my time well and finish my work by the evening so that I have adequate time left to do what I love and then sleep. That has worked wonders for me in the past and I am hoping it is more frequent and consistent this year.
Another way to make sure I get enough sleep is to have a “rewards system” for myself. If I allow myself to sleep well during the weekdays, I reward myself by staying up late during the weekends and not having to adhere to any schedule for those days.
Meeting New People
As a freshman at UH, it has been a rollercoaster adapting to a new environment and new place. I have always felt like it’s so important to socialize and meet new people wherever I go because not only does it improve my interpersonal skills but it can help me build great connections and friends.
However, this year felt a bit overwhelming for me with the whole transition from high school to college and I wasn’t as outgoing as I would’ve liked to be. I still feel like I have to make more effort to strike up conversations with more people and try to develop new friendships.
This year, I hope to meet more people and foster healthy friendships. I plan on doing this by trying to talk to more people in my face-to-face classes for the semester and attending more social events hosted by UH. By the end of 2024, I hope to have met some great new people who I can call my friends.
Solidifying My Academic Pathway
When I got accepted at UH and discovered all the programs the University offered, I was surprised at all the vast options to choose from. Though I am a pre-business major and hope to make it big in the corporate world one day, I still have to choose what exactly I want to major in and I have so many options lying in front of me.
It is a blessing to have so many doors open at this point but if you’re indecisive like me, you know it’s so tricky to choose what’s right for you sometimes. I aim to discover each major further and try to find out where my interest is leaning more toward and what really appeals to me.
Talking to people from different majors, reading more news and some research can assist me in accomplishing this goal.
More Emphasis on Self-Care
Since I can remember, I have always been a go-getter. I’m the kind of person who gets restless if I have work or assignments pending, which is why I have always pushed myself to complete all my work well before deadlines. But that can sometimes catch up to me and lead to mental burnout.
Fortunately, I have always acknowledged the times when I need breaks to have some “me-time” and that is a habit that I plan to keep this year as well. But besides just breaks, I hope to devote more time to my own self-care, and prioritizing my health even if that means my assignments take a step back momentarily. Whether it be adhering to a skin-care routine, taking care of my hair or even eating healthy, I hope to tick all the self-care boxes.
Having goals for the new year helps keep you in check and gives you the space you need to blossom into a newer and much better version of yourself. Like me, I hope you have goals and habits you plan to keep this year, and hopefully, all of us fulfill what we’ve set for ourselves. May the odds be ever in our favor!
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