By Tilly Rose
It's that time of year...the one where we set those goals: 'Give up chocolate', 'go on a run every day' or 'no Whatsapp at my desk'. Inevitably these all last a few weeks into Jan and then real life kicks in, we lose our motivation and, as we sit on the sofa, tucking into a bar of Dairy Milk, scrolling through Insta, those resolutions seem like a distant dream.
That's why it's all about setting realistic goals you can stick to. A few little changes here or there can be life-changing (and yes you can still enjoy a little bit of chocolate and screen time along the way!).
For those of you currently studying at school or uni, we've put together some New Year's Resolution inspo to keep you on track in 2020:
1. Small, meaningful chunks - committing yourself to hours of endless studying every day can feel like a huge pressure/seriously stress you out. Instead, set yourself small targets. E.g. each evening after school I'm going to go over my existing notes for half an hour, so by the time exams come around they are truly ingrained in my mind.
2. Learn something new - if you're thinking of applying to Oxford/studying at Oxford next year, expanding your knowledge outside of the school curriculum is a great way to make a head-start. Write a list of articles, books, documentaries, podcasts you want to check out and put a satisfying tick next to them as you complete each one.
3. Plan, plan, plan - whether it be on your phone calendar or a paper diary, start getting organised. For those of you with mocks this January, I always found it really useful to fill each day of the week out with different subjects I was going to revise. Give yourself some flexibility but this way you know you have time to cover everything.
Wishing you all a very Happy New Year and excited to continue the TOG journey with you in 2020!