Hello guys, Xiu Zhang here. I’m back to talk about, well, one of the most popular topics that I often try to ignore because they eventually get me into a word battle: New Year resolution, especially among students. I should admit: this theme isn’t new, and every time we come closer to the New Year, students start to chant about their New Year resolutions plan for the next 12 months daily. Here is why I think that New Year resolutions for students is just a waste of time and sleep. If you have any problems or questions, contact me via website or email. I’ll be glad to respond to your suggestions.
Why New Year Resolutions for Students Don’t Work: Debunking Myths
Here is a list of some common New Year resolutions for students myths I suggest you stop believing in.
- They will motivate you. Most of the time, the only thing that stands between you and your goals isn’t the list of plans. It’s the time of day, your unwillingness to study, lack of sleep, or the recent TV show you’ve been watching. It’s about you, not some imaginary resolution list.
- Your New Year resolution will help you organize better. Every student is either well organized or not. Even if you try to prove to yourself that you can work on your health, body, and grades but have no heart in it, your changes won’t be long if the only thing that keeps you standing is a resolutions list.
- People need an exact day to start. I don’t believe in it at all. Can you imagine what number of times I have been trying to start rising at 5 AM to go for a run? More than I actually ran. New Year resolutions are an illusion that we will try a day after that. It’s our excuse to place the blame on something else.
Science of New Year Resolutions
Instead of offering an example of New Year resolution for students and telling you what you should do, I will offer you a number of scientific reasons for why they don’t do you any good.
Myths about New Year resolutions
- We strive for better communication through creating resolutions that we can share with others. We just hope to be a part of the group. That’s all. Everyone does this new interesting thing, so it means we should also be watching the trend.
- We need a date. Something makes you believe that the New Year resolution for students should be on this exact day. Why? Can’t you start tomorrow? People psychologically associate their goals with the well known dates. It adds value to a seemingly boring list of things we could do better. Students in general tend to connect their successes and losses with holidays.
- 10% of people who wrote their New Year resolutions actually achieved them. When I saw these statistics, I realized why my 2022 and 2023 were so bad in terms of keeping my grades up and body goals stable.
- The act of creating the New Year resolution for students gives as much satisfaction as the act of finishing them. Be honest. Aren’t you happy every time you just make a list? Don’t you feel so proud of yourself that you stare at your resolutions already imagining how you beat them all and have better attitudes to your food, class tasks, and relationships? It’s because we visualize it so intensely that we don’t really need to do anything.
- Almost every New Year resolution for students should be long-term, and most stop doing it after a few months max.
Yep, I bet you’re not feeling so well now, aren’t you? It’s not just you. It’s everyone. As some of the least stable groups in society, students have set a trap for themselves and now have to do something with it.
New year’s Resolution Examples for Students: Don’t Repeat These Mistakes
My 2023 was pretty hectic, and I will use my own New Year’s resolution examples for students who think about what they might do wrong. After all, we’re closer and closer to the holiday season.
Mistakes people make with New Year resolutions
- Thinking big. Don’t overdo it. For example, I wrote “Get a perfect body” and it stuck with me daily. I felt like crap. Creating huge plans is a bad idea. New year resolution for students should not be immeasurable and very high-stakes. When you do it, it’s impossible to keep up with the perfect student you aren’t.
- Ignoring timeframes. This one’s pretty funny for me, but maybe it won’t be the same for you. I’ve decided to take the initiative and entirely clean all my extra email letters. With thousands of letters on several of my emails, it was simply impossible. It was easier to imagine than really do.
- Getting too attached to your New Year resolution. During 2023, whenever I’ve failed to fulfill some part of my plan, I didn’t think that the issue was with the resolutions or my schedule; I ignored suggestions and simply thought that I should stop because I was a failure. It isn’t an effective approach to anything, really. And certainly not to such a fictional notion as New Year resolutions for students.
- Expecting no effort. New year resolution for students should work for students in the first place. And they require hard work and investment. Can’t even imagine doing it daily? Perhaps that’s not your goal. I’ve promised myself to never miss a class and get perfect grades. It didn’t work out.
- Setting goals outside your control. I created several ridiculous resolutions, but the statement “I will sleep 8 hours every night” was the strangest one. It was a failure from the start. You can’t always control your sleep. You can’t predict whether you’ll need to stay awake later watching a lecture.
How to Find Actually Good New Year’s Resolution Ideas for Students
Although 2023 will be my last New Year resolution year, I’ve got some New Year’s resolution ideas for students who want to try and take smart steps towards realistic objectives.
a) New year resolution for students should be flexible. Don’t create “ride or die” type of situations because you’ll be unhappy. For instance, instead of saying “I want to stop eating junk food,” do something different and write, “Do not eat junk food three times a week.” Of course, the number of days and goals can vary, but that’s just a rough example.
b) Make them easy to follow. Good New Year resolution for students should not be complicated. When you stop developing a new habit, it shouldn’t feel as if you’ve been trying to keep the world on your shoulders. Try easy steps. Not “having a beach body” but “walking 10 minutes more every day.”
c) Only choose a small number of New Year resolution for students tasks. Stop making lists longer than yourself. Write 3-5 goals for the entire year. Time is not flexible, and you will be simply frustrated when you can’t reach the desired health or sleep objectives. Remember: nothing forbids you from doing more. Simply make sure that your New Year resolutions are manageable and not too scary to be effective.
These were the best new year resolution for students ideas that should help you.
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It’s Okay Not to Know Your Future
When I was contemplating my New Year’s resolution as a student, I was very focused on my grades, body image, relationships with people I liked, and my food goals. I was overspending and not paying attention to most of my needs. It’s better not to stress out in a way that makes you think that you should either have your entire life planned ahead or live in chaos. In reality, we decide to pursue all these New Year resolutions because we are afraid of the future and what will happen if we don’t plan it. It had never happened to me. I have realized that everything from my health to my dreams about the next class or even degree can change, and I’m fine with it.
I don’t need socially accepted lists or a New Year resolution for students to feel complete. I can change within a year. I make shorter plans and accept the suggestions that life has for me. I study my daily self as I go: by living and watching the world go by.
Psychological Benefits of New Year Resolutions
Not all New Year resolution ideas for students are bad. Here are some advantages you might have noticed yourself.
- New year resolution for students should make you think about how you can keep your promises.
- New year resolution for students should offer hope to those who haven’t been feeling well this past year.
- New year resolution for students motivates them to celebrate the day.
- Writing New Year resolutions can be a sort of therapy.
- Each New Year resolution is a chance to understand our priorities.
How New Year Resolutions Harm Us
Because you already know what I think about it all, there’s how New Year resolutions ideas for students can be harmful.
- Each New Year resolution for students sets impossible standards.
- When students can’t achieve their New Year resolutions, they become stressed.
- Society tells us that students should have some “serious” goals to be successful.
- Every New Year resolution is a social media phenomenon that responds to the fear of missing out.
- Such resolutions create a sense that there is New Year as a day when students should think about improving their lives.
- New year resolution for students should not but do create additional pressure aside from their difficult study plan.
- They can make a person obsessed with only one part of their lives or feel like a failure.
Combine Plans with Flexibility
While I’m not a fan of New Year resolutions for students, I suggest that every person who wants to try creating one should combine schedule with flexibility. Remember that when you have any New Year resolution, you’re not bound by law to do it all. Once, I heard the best of all suggestions: don’t share your resolutions with everyone. When you do, you think that you will feel better only if others know that you accomplished your tasks. Make it a list of things just for you. Also, keep in mind that every year is different. I could do more in 2022 than I could in 2023 because of different reasons, and increasing your stakes all the time is bad for you.
Finally, make sure that you create small measurable goals that will really be visible. Don’t create vague dreams, create real plans and go towards them daily. Good luck!