Every New Year, all the commercials and social media posts are about everyone’s New Year goals. One year, even Kylie Jenner posted on Instagram that she was going to try to be more present and post less on social media. I’m not here to tell you what to set and what not to set as a goal, but if you’re going to set them, they might as well be healthy, worthwhile, and reasonably easy to stick to.  

If you are like Kylie Jenner and are a little too addicted to social media, then take your time away from it. Social media is great and not so great at the same time. If you find yourself too hung up on your friend’s new boyfriend rather than doing your homework, then you should definitely consider taking a step back from social media for a little bit. I suggest going cold turkey for at least two weeks. One week is too short, and two weeks will give you a taste of how living life for yourself really feels. I went cold turkey off of social media for two weeks after I missed an assignment due to endless scrolling and ended up continuing it for a month. During that month, I found out that I was posting for other people’s likes and not for the sake of my own memories. I found out that I had more time to do things that didn’t make me feel kind of empty. Write in a journal how your mood and life feel before doing a social media detox for two weeks, and at the end, take note of how your mood changed. Also, try including a list of what you actually like and don’t like about social media in your pre- and post-detox journal. If the cons outweigh the pros, rethink your social media usage entirely.  

Losing weight is always a popular goal, but most people go about setting the goal in the wrong way. They end up failing and blaming themselves. They promise that next year will be their year. Well, if you are really trying to lose weight and really want to do it, then losing weight in a healthy way is the only way. If you set a goal to lose 10 pounds in two months when according to Mayo Clinic’s advice, it’s reasonable losing only one to two pounds per week, it’s not motivating enough in the long term to keep going. If you set a goal to only eat fast food once a week or trade candy bars to a square of dark chocolate anytime you get a sweet craving, you are more likely to keep the goal long term. If you keep a goal long term, that’s the key to success. Allowing yourself some form of reward often, but not too often, is also key to not relying on motivation but consistent ease in living healthier. Allow yourself one episode of your favorite show after you work out, or treat yourself to window shopping after a healthy eating week. The best goals for losing weight are not number-based but based on consistency.  

Another New Year goal is to find a new hobby or skill. Many people decide photography, running, cooking, or reading are the best and most productive skills to pick up. I say, whatever makes you happy and can make you money will let you kill two birds with one stone. Find something you love to do and get good at it, then figure out a way to make money off of it. If your thing is photography, start a photography page on Instagram and make a website to charge for photoshoots. If you love cooking, sell your recipes or ideas on how to meal prep. If you love running, start a running guide or running club. Get creative and find a creative way to make money so you can keep this hobby going in the long run. If it helps you make money, you will be more inclined to keep the hobby and have extra cash to do other things you really love, too.  In the end, setting goals and keeping them is all about making it a habit and making it into something you love.