Every year, I try time after time to stick to a new year’s resolution. Not only do I never follow through with these New Year’s resolutions, I look back and think of better ways I could have done them. There are better options for some of the most popular New Year’s Resolutions that could help people to follow through with them. 

1. Going to the gym 

I get it, trying to get that dream body or just be more healthy, I have been there. I always came to the same problem, not enough time, or not a way to get to the gym. I also know as a teenager, I have little free time, and I do not want to spend that free time working out.

Instead Try: Going for a jog once or twice a week. 

Not only is easier than working out, it also helps with time management. A person can start small with this one, maybe just running once or twice a week, then as they get better, they can start doing it more. The most important thing is not to overwork the body, which is something I feel like a lot of teenagers can do.     

2. Dieting 

I have had my fair share of failed diet plans. The hardest part is just getting the right food to do some diets. Not only can diet foods be more expensive, they can also be hard to find in some places. 

Instead Try: Cutting down on unhealthy foods.

Cutting down on unhealthy food would mean not eating fast food so much, maybe getting water instead of pop, and even just trying to eat a well-balanced meal at least once or twice a week. I feel like this is a lot better than trying to diet because some diets can be harmful to teenagers. 

3. Cleaning my room 

Trying to keep my room clean is something I always struggle with. I think it just seems like I have no motivation or time to clean my room. Most of the time I am too tired to clean my room, and I swear I do not even do enough stuff to get it that dirty. Literally, all I do is lay on my bed. 

Instead Try: Making your bed every day. 

Honestly, coming back to a made bed after a long day can be so nice. Not only is it less time-consuming but it is still something that can make the whole room look nicer. I know, nobody wants to make their bed right after they wake up, but I can almost promise you getting back from school, or a game, and just going to lay in a nice made bed is one of the best feelings ever. 

4. Stop spending money. 

This can be really hard, and trying to just stop money so suddenly can be hard, I get that sometimes it can seem impossible to go without money, especially if it is a tournament week, or there are a lot of things going on. 

Instead Try: Putting away all the change you get.  

This means if I were to buy a seven dollar meal from El’ Charro’s I would put three dollars in savings. This would be an easy way to save money, without going totally cold turkey on spending. If someone did this then after a while the money would add up. 

5. Limiting how much time I spend on my phone.  

Honestly, this is one of the things I struggle with a lot. I feel like I am always on my phone. I always try to limit myself and always end up failing because I realize how much I depend on the phone. My phone has my schedule, my contacts, and all my friends. I realize when I do not have my phone it can seem hard to do much. 

Instead Try: Cutting down on social media. 

Cutting down on social media is a simple way to cut down on screen time. Something I do to help stay off social media is turning off my notifications. I feel like when they are still on, I just spend all my day staring at my phone for that notification from a guy who does not even like me. Sometimes I will also just completely sign out of my social media for a couple of hours or so and it really helps me cut my screen time down.