I’m a Type-A goal setter. Since the age of thirteen, I have been creating extensive New Year’s Resolution lists that are typically composed of 15-20 goals I want to accomplish within the next year. Though I will normally finish most of my goals on my list, I find that I usually have only a 60% success rate. In light of a poor turnout, I am trying something new for 2019. Instead of lengthy and vague goals that are meant to be completed in the year, I will be following 6 monthly challenges to fit what I want to accomplish in a semester. Each challenge fits alongside three overarching goals: smart spending, a strong body, and social media diminishment. These goals are universal to every college student, and I hope my plan can inspire you to join along or to create your own.
January: 30 Days of a No-Spending
Essentially, the premise of no-spending is only buying what are necessities. For most students, necessities include rent, utilities, health and car insurance, gas, and groceries. Track what you spend in a budgeting app (I suggest EveryDollar) or a simple notebook. While tracking what you spend, you should also write down what you may have wanted to buy but didn’t. At the end of the month, look at your finances. See how much money you didn’t spend compared to other months. Then, open up your list of wants. Analyze your wants and ask yourself if that want was simply instant gratification or if you would have used or enjoyed that product. Challenges like these are intended to disrupt your idea of what is valuable and enjoyable. Sure, you may have wanted to buy the $5 lip gloss in the supermarket checkout line, but would that LipSmacker have added anything to your life besides subtracted space in your makeup bag? This is a perfect challenge to cleanse yourself of unnecessary consumerism and save a little change. If you maintain the lessons you learn about money from the challenge, you also may save even more money in the future.
February: 30 days of Food Journaling
I eat all day. Everyday. And there is nothing wrong about that. But knowing when I’m eating for fuel and pleasure vs. when I’m eating because I’m not adequately handling my emotions, actions, or stress, is actually very beneficial. So, in light of the dreary February weather, I will be taking the time to journal everything that I eat, and look at the reasons behind my eating. No calories or macros documented, just purely what I ate and why. When we analyze what we put into our bodies and why, we are surprised about how little of our eating is truly because we are hungry. Often, we use food as a refuge from dealing with what is actually bothering us, but when we finally write down why we eat, we are able to understand ourselves more and find better ways to rid ourselves of stress, insecurity, and anxiety. Food journaling is not meant to say “you suck because you ate another slice of pizza” but a temporary way to honestly look at our habits and become aware of them.
March: 30 Days of No Social Media and Limited Screen Time
For March, I am whole-heartedly deleting my Instagram and Facebook. I would also delete my SnapChat, but I have a 430 day streak to maintain. I am downloading an app called “My Phone Time” which tracks your phone screen time and if you choose to, will block certain apps from use after a specified amount of using time. The only thing that is staying on board during this time will be obvious apps such as Gmail, my calendar, texting and calling (because it’s actual human interaction) and YouTube (just because I am an avid morning news person). We have all unplugged before due to a camping trip, a family dinner, a self-induced cleanse, a parental punishment, etc and we all know the benefits, such as better sleep, enhanced focus, deeper concentration, less distraction, more connection with those around you and your physical environment, less anxiety, the list goes on. But have you ever gone a month? Try it. See how you feel after. Maybe do a little journaling about your experience. Then, take those benefits and rethink how you will use your phone in the future.
April: 30 Days of Investing in What Matters
I have been meaning to learn about how to save for retirement and investing, but every time I lightly begin exploring, I am bombarded with too much information from too many sources and feel overwhelmed to the point that I just put it off again. Same goes for necessary home gadgets or personal items. I know I need a space heater, but space heaters aren’t as fun as some new AE jeans, and so I just go cold for the winter. So, April will be the month I set aside time each day to do two things: first, research investment funds for the future and second, figure out what stuff I need to be a functioning adult and actually go buy it or save for it. While I work on building a set of items to make adulthood easier, I also will be using compound interest in my favor to hopefully bless my future 65 year old self.
May: 30 Days of Working Out Everyday
Ah, the age-old “Get Fit” New Year’s Resolution has appeared yet again. But instead of throwing myself into a vat of protein powder and Fabletics leggings, I am starting with a commitment. Every May day, I will be attending the gym or working out my body in some capacity. I also intend to try many new workout moves and equipment during this time and see what actions produce the best results. I’m not setting a measurement or a specific number I want to be at. I’m simply sticking to my goal of going to the gym everyday. When “Getting Fit” is such a broad and vague term, building on smaller commitments is easier to accomplish than trying to do a life 180. As humans, we are built for incremental changes because behaviors are hard to break. The more we change behavior gradually rather than suddenly, the more likely we are to a) feel genuine accomplishment and b) feel motivated to continue and add new goals in the process.
June: 30 Days of Screen Time Schedules
In reference to March, which will help me see how much of a negative impact my phone can have on my life, June is dedicated to creating “Phone Time” and nothing else. Instead of picking up my phone at any sign of boredom, I want to set aside specific instances that I can use my social media, such as after work, or an hour before bed, not during road traffic or right as I wake up. When we set times to use our phones and not just whenever, we rewire our brains to view our phones less as entertainment and more as a privilege.
Even if your goals don’t match with mine this semester, I hope you feel both motivated and committed to them. Whenever you are struggling with your motivation, remind yourself of why. If you are working out, you might be doing so for a healthier heart, more strength, or self-love. If you are eliminating your phone, maybe you want better focus, more connection, or more happiness. Whatever your reasons may be, remembering them will make accomplishing your goals and getting those gains that much easier.