According to forbeshealth.com, New Year’s resolutions are usually dropped by the second Friday in January. Most resolutions last around 3.7 months, and by the fourth month, most lose complete motivation and don’t reach their goal of creating a new, healthy habit. The main reason why so many resolutions are tossed out so soon is due to the lack of planning and unreasonable expectations that people most often put on themselves with the plan to become a whole new person in a few weeks.

One of the most common New Year’s resolutions is cutting out junk food and exercising. The intense switch in eating and daily habits can create an overwhelming environment for that habit to succeed. Instead, it would make it easier if people just eased off sugary drinks and switched them for water or meal prepped fruits and veggies to avoid mindless munching. Or they could find an activity that can be done with friends that keeps them active, it doesn’t always mean that weights need to be lifted or miles need to be run.

A really good habit to start in the new year is to spend less time on social media. Studies have shown that being online for too long can cause a negative effect on one’s mental health. With the dopamine being released from attention grabbing content and the endless entertainment making it that much harder to quit. A simple way to start limiting oneself can start by not checking social media when first waking up. Setting small limits in the beginning makes the idea of completely deleting an app less daunting.

“Social media can be beneficial, but the cons outweigh the pros,” said sophomore Emilia Defonte. “It can be harmful to people, especially teenagers, as it can cause mental health issues and lead us to not be as focused on our education as we should be.”

Finding a healthy way to be productive while also relaxing is a crucial goal for 2024 that can lead to success. What many students can relate to is the feeling of no motivation. With school, friends and outside jobs or sports, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. Creating lists and getting rid of distractions will allow the important tasks to get done. It’s also important to balance work and breaks; too much working leads to feeling burnt out, and taking too many breaks will not result in getting anything done.

The priority to complete these goals comes from the environment that they are put in. To create a new lifestyle, the boring, uncomfortable and challenging parts have to be worked through to lead to success.