I created a guide for setting goals in preparation for the new decade that I’d like to share with you all! 

This is a link to the document on google drive.  

If you download it or use it, please reblog this post or message me that you’d like to send a donation. I’ve spent hours working on this, and I hope you find it useful:) 

It has sections on creating or choosing an alter ego, setting goals, creating a vision board, and sticking to your goals. This can be used at any time of the year, I just made it around new years because I was feeling extra motivated and I assume many of you are too!! 

Message me with any questions or thoughts! 

*disclaimer*: these tips are just part of how I make my resolutions, i am not in any way saying that this is the “right” way to make them. that said, i hope this post can help you as you plan out how to make 2018 your best year!

- splitting the year up by seasons and listing the general goals/focus areas in each season can help you avoid being overwhelmed by a seemingly extensive amount of goals/resolutions you have. It can also help you focus on a small number of goals rather than trying to fulfill them all together at once.

- splitting up your resolutions by category is another way to organize your resolutions in an easier-to-manage way. example categories on my list include “money/finance”, “personal hobbies”, and “academics”.

- start small and use baby steps when writing your goals in order to make them more tangible and achievable. for example, instead of making it a goal to “raise my GPA” or “get all As”, you could make it a goal to “go to tutorials whenever you are struggling on concepts” or “review what you learn in class after school every day”. By making your resolutions into small physical tasks and habits, you are more inclined to do them, and more likely to fulfill the bigger goal.

- know that there will be bumps along the way, and plan for them. no one is perfect, and if you break your resolution it isn’t the end of the world. the important thing is to not let yourself get caught up in it. identify the problem and find a way to help/get rid of it. for example, say one of your goals was to “do homework as soon as you get home”. instead of doing so, you find yourself playing on your phone until dinner, and subsequently not starting your homework until much later. by recognizing the problem, you can often find a solution, such as turning your phone off until all your homework is done, or by using productivity apps such as forest or focus now to keep yourself off your device.

- plan small rewards for achieving your goals as a way to keep yourself motivated and focused on your task. 

- justify your resolutions. ask yourself, why am i making this resolution? how will it benefit me as a person? many resolutions often fail simply because people lose their interest in their goal, showing that they were never truly bent on achieving that goal or forming that habit, but rather came up with it based on a brief whim or were influenced by societal trends or standards at the time.

- check in at the end of every month. reflect on your progress, identify if any changes should be made to your resolutions. the resolutions you set at the beginning of the year are not definite, as you may find that throughout the year your goals and interests have in fact changed.