Your new school year resolutions

The end of August and the beginning of September herald the start of a new school year. It’s a great time for goal setting and locking in some healthy and productive new habits to support your educational and professional success.

We traditionally set new year’s resolutions to make the most of the fresh start that the new year brings. The new school year at the end of August or beginning of September heralds another season of new starts, a new season, and new beginnings.

This new start makes September a brilliant moment to make some new school year resolutions or set some new goals – whether you are in education or not!

Setting and achieving your new year resolutions

It’s a great idea to make your resolutions positive, rather than negative. Focus on something you would like to achieve, rather than something you’d like to give up. For example, instead of focusing on not eating so much junk food, focus on making sure you get your five a day!

Resolutions should also be realistic and achievable. If you aim too high, too fast you can quickly become disillusioned if your performance falls below your expectations. Instead, start small and grow your ambitions slowly so that you stay motivated!

Tracking performance is really important. It’s a good way to ensure you don’t fall into an “all or nothing” approach to achieving your new year’s resolutions. By looking at the journey as a whole, you give yourself room to change tack and try different approaches if you aren’t hitting your desired targets on a given day.

Ideas for new resolutions for the new school year

Resolutions can focus on different aspects of your life:

• Get organized
• Declutter
• Do more exercise
• Learn a new skill
• Get more sleep
• Commit to a new schedule

Seek support to help you achieve your goals. You can do this in different ways:

• Discuss your goals and monitor progress against them with your mentor.
• Find a resolution “buddy” who is looking to achieve a similar goal. This way, you can support and encourage each other.
• Join a club in your workplace or school. Whether you wish to exercise more, socialize more or develop a new skill or hobby, committing to regular attendance with a group who is doing the same is a great way to embed your new behaviors.

What next?

Find more inspiration and ideas about goal setting, productivity and achievement on our blog:

• How to survive “back to work” syndrome
• Why you should write down your New Year’s resolutions
• 6 Productivity Secrets from Self-made Billionaires
• Tips to write an achievable five-year plan
• 5 great ideas for a fresh start to 2023
• Habits of successful people to add to your routine
• Female Entrepreneurs Talk about How to Achieve Work-Life Balance
• 10 Brilliant Quotes to Inspire Your 2020 New Year Resolutions
• Are new year’s resolutions worth the paper they’re written on?