Every year families go around the dinner table telling each other their resolutions for the new year, yet many of these resolutions go down the drain before they are followed through.

Some common resolutions are going to the gym, eating healthier, losing weight or spending more time with family. During the first days of the new year, it is common to see large crowds of motivated people going after their goals.

After a week or so, however, motivation dies down and people give up on their resolutions.  There are many ways to not burn out from trying to complete resolutions. This includes writing your goals down somewhere you walk by every day.

When you see this goal written somewhere it can be seen as a reminder and will help keep your motivation up and your eyes on the goal. Having a constant visual reminder will increase the likelihood of success, allowing you to follow through with your actions. 

“I keep a post-it on my computer reminding me to keep good posture and I do exercises and focus on it once a day,” sophomore Aaron Michels said.  

Documenting your progress for a goal, whether it be taking photos or writing things down, is another method. When you see that what you are doing is working and you are making progress, you become even more perseverant to accomplish your resolution.

“This year I plan to stop procrastinating by setting schedules and keeping all of my tasks organized,” sophomore Micheal Demske said. 

 In previous years, Demske broke his resolutions because he forgot about them over time. This year will be different for him because if he stays organized and keeps his schedule he will not forget his goal of not procrastinating this year.

Michels decided to work on improving his bad posture this year. In previous years he did not follow through with his goal because he never wrote it down and was not consistent with it from the beginning.

Not everyone chooses a resolution based on physical health, as some focus more on improving their mental health going into the new year. This may be accomplished by lessening stresses in life, like school and work, by finding a new escape or hobby. Some people’s mental health may be in bad shape because of toxic people in their lives and a resolution may be dropping them or trying to solve the issues.

“I have seen a lot more people having mental health resolutions this year rather than physical ones, like going to the gym, which I think has to do with quarantine,” Michels said.