TBT: New Year's Resolutions

Happy Thursday Y'all!

Hope your week has been going well. Just two more days til the weekend!

Many of you are probably still in school, so I hope this post finds you well. This is Throwback Post, from January of this year. I wanted to repost it BEFORE New Year's to give you enough time to think about this post before school let's out for the winter break (for us in the Northern Hemisphere), in case you wanted to incorporate some of the ideas into your lessons, but especially to give you some time to think about what goals YOU want to accomplish come the new year...

Enjoy!

Original Post: January 6, 2016

So by now you've figured out my love for making goals and sticking to them. I've posted a few times about ways to stick with your resolutions (or goals) and have created a couple products related to resolutions and making SMART goals.

Okay, okay. You've read these posts and understand how and why to make and stick with your goals for the upcoming year. But maybe you don't know what your resolution(s) should be. Maybe you have something vague in mind, like "get healthy" but can't determine a concrete place to start. Look no further! This post is to help you determine the perfect resolution(s) for you!

I've split up the ideas based on categories. You may even look for a different goal in each category, like I did here, if it strikes your fancy.

Get Healthy!

This category relates to anything in regards to your physical health, such as weight loss, exercising, clean eating, hydration, etc.

• Walk _____ steps a day (many people start with 10,000)
• Drink _____ glasses/ounces of water a day - check out my latest Busy Bee post for ways to increase your water intake.
• Do yoga one day per week (this is great if you are trying to increase your flexibility and yoga practice. Once this is mastered and you want to increase it, do so!)
• Exercise 3 times per week for 30 minutes each
• Lose 10 pounds in 3 months -this is an example. Tailor this to your goals, but make sure it's reasonable.
• Quit Smoking. I don't know a lot about smoking cessation, but check this out for some tips to meet your goals!
• Cook at home 3 nights per week (to me this is cray easy, but that's because I a'int got no money for take out, and like cooking. But whatever you need to work on man...)
• Jog ____ miles per week/month/year. I find it easier to make smaller goals, such as "Jog 100 miles by January 31st" or "Jog 30 miles by my birthday". Once I reach my goal, I set a new one. For example, if I ran 100 miles by January 31st, I might then set a goal for 50 miles by Valentine's Day, and so forth. If jogging isn't in the cards for you, then allow walking to take its place. I allow any cardio exercise to count, based on these rules below from Tone It Up.

• Wear sunscreen every. single. day.
• Incorporate fruits and veggies at EVERY meal -this is one of my personal resolutions this year!
• Try one new work out each week - check out my #runteacherrun page for some workouts!

Save Money!

All things related to saving and making money.

• Bring your lunch 3 days per week
• Make coffee at home
• Save _____ per month (enter a reasonable dollar amount here, based on the next idea)
• Create a budget
• Keep track of your finances - many people swear by Mint
• Save money toward buying a house - this may obviously take longer than just one year, but by starting the process of determining your budget will make the process much easier. Check out this post to give you an idea of where to start.
• Make more money this year - not always an easy feat, but check out this list of resources for some great ideas! I added TPT to my resume a few years back and it's been a great supplement to our annual income. Additionally, I work as a consultant on the side based on my profession (BCBA)
• Consolidate your loans - or at least research it to find out if it's right for you.
• Start a savings plan
• Learn to live below your means -sound scary? It's actually quite reasonable, and responsible! Check out this post for some tips.

Live in the Moment!

Mindfulness (my fave), mental wellness, stress relief.

• Turn off all electronics one hour before bed 4 nights per week (gotta start somewhere, right?)
• Get more sleep - to make this SMART, add smaller, manageable benchmarks, such as "go to bed 30 minutes earlier" and once that is accomplished, change it to "go to bed 45 minutes earlier". Alternatively, consider tracking your sleep (I use my Fit Bit). Check out this post for some ideas for getting better sleep.
• Be a Morning Person
• Create a cleaning chart for your home - incorporate kids and spouses. Cleaning throughout the week leads to less stress on weekend and cleaner home all around!
• Meditate ___ minutes per day - start at 5 minutes a day. Increase as needed/desired. Need help getting started? Check out my Beginner's Guide to Meditation for busy folks and my post on Meditation 101.

Be Professional!

Work-related goals for the professional

• Be more productive -I'll admit, this isn't very SMART, but I don't know what you do for a living to make this a SMART goal. To help make this goal SMART, focus more on the steps you are going to take, based on your overall goal as it relates to your professional situation. For example, for me I might choose "work on behavior support plan for client in the first 2 hours of the work day" or "check emails 3 times daily".
• Procrastinate less - again, not SMART, but you can figure it out.
• Find more professional resources - check out my Pinterest page on all things "professional" and "work-related"

Blog More!

Blogging related resolutions to keep you accountable

• Grow your blog - there are tons for resources for growing your blog. Check this one out for Twitter. This one for a list of new blog post ideas. Or this one and this one for making money while growing your blog. Score!
• Learn how to write a great blog post - check out this resource for some tips.
• Learn how to pair fonts for eye-catching images - like here, or here.
• Learn about any gadgets you have - for example, your MacBook or Canon.
• Learn effective photography tips for bloggers - say for, creating and animated gif, using photo editing apps, and general photography tips.

Have Fun!

Use these resolutions for adding leisure or "just for fun" goals in your life. Think: reading, vacations, hobbies, etc.

• Read 1 new book a month (make this attainable for you!)
• Take an adult education class of your choice (think knitting, a language course, or cooking class)
• Teach yourself a new skill (YouTube has great resources for this - I taught myself to crochet using this method)
• Join a sports team for leisure. There are lots of organizations geared toward adult sports or social groups. My favorite Boston-based ones are BSSC, Hub Sports, and Social Boston Sports. Check out your local YMCA for some leagues as well!
• Learn how to change a tire by _____ (enter date)
• Plan one weekend day trip per month -this is the perfect resolution for those of you new to your area, or even those who have lived in their town for years! It's an opportunity to get out and explore!
• Complete 2 DIY projects of your choosing a month- Check out your own Pinterest page (or mine) for inspiration!

Now even though this list of resolutions is HUGE, it is by no means complete. This is meant to serve as inspiration for you as you develop the best goals for you. Hopefully, I have done that for you.

What are your resolutions/goals for the upcoming year? Comment below!