Setting small goals is better than one huge resolution

The new year, for me, usually means watching everyone getting caught up in the frenzy of setting resolutions. I say watching be­cause over the years I've found myself not needing to set a goal that will more or less be forgotten by mid-February.

Now, I'm not saying that I don't believe in resolutions, which is silly to say because they exist. It's not like resolutions are make be­lieve or that they don't work; I'm saying that I'm a procrastinating realist who has trouble finding the motivation to leave her room some days.

With that said, I find that mak­ing little monthly, weekly or even daily goals are easier to maintain. This strategy has also proved to be successful in accomplish­ing more. From my experience, goals can easily be lost in the rush of daily happenings if they're not planned into everyday activities. For example, if I were planning to eat healthier and lose weight but I do not plan out what to eat and do, then I would completely disre­gard the goal on that day. Because this is often the case for me, not only do I set mini goals to fulfill a larger goal, but I stick notes re­minding me to accomplish some­thing everywhere. For those who are impatient and demand instant satisfaction, resolutions can prove to be a pain, especially if they've ironically resolved to be less im­patient.

This leads back to my point of making small objectives every so often to achieve a goal. Setting mini goals can instill the illusion that achievements are popping up faster and that you're reaching the next level with more ferocity.

A simple solution to this is to make a game out of it. Instead of resolving to lose weight, resolve to learn a new sport (killing two birds with one stone!) or to dance more. Instead of resolving to quit smoking, challenge yourself to see how long you can go without a cigarette and reward yourself when you beat each record (pref­erably not with a smoke).

You could even resolve to do fun things like listen to new music or watch as many movies as possible.

If a resolution goes haywire and the impending self-hatred doom seems to be lurking around cor­ner, take a deep breath start over. Resolutions are not reserved only for Jan. 1 of every year.

Tiffany Do is a sophomore from San Francisco, Calif. She can be reached at tiffany.do@student.shu.edu.