Hopefully you all relate to this and enjoy the post. Let me know what your New Years Resolutions are by commenting on this post, tweeting me, posting a picture on Instagram and tagging me or comment on the Google+ post, whatever is easy for you, I want to see what you guys want to achieve this year and if you're sticking to them throughout the year because throughout the year I will be posting about how I'm going sort of updating you, maybe even motivate those who can't stick to their resolutions. But first, I'll tell you all about my resolutions, some are easier said than done but I'm ready to make this my year.

First, foremost, the ultimate goal that I know I'll struggle with is having an early night. I can never follow a schedule, like I physically cannot write a schedule down with specific times and what not for numerous activities and then go and do exactly that. I've tried to download timetable apps and make a schedule, I've tried writing down a schedule physically and on a computer and stuck it on my wall, but nothing has worked. I still go to bed at abnormal times. It's been said that it's best to go to bed and wake up at the same time everyday and I'll try to attempt this, however it'll be difficult due to study patterns and particularly depends on my university timetable which I've not received yet for the new year. I decided to purchase a diary and planner in one, I'll show you it when I've received it and maybe do a tutorial on how I decorate and organise my life in one little book. I used to own a diary and felt more comfort in owning one, however, I need one that'll last me a lifetime and soft and hard cover diaries are disposable and have to be replaced each year. The planner will allow me to schedule my days out and not only will this motivate me to sleep earlier and fix my sleeping pattern but it'll help me feel more organised! The plan here is to morph a number of resolutions I'm making this year with this diary, the obvious ones are with regards to sleep and organisation but also, it'll allow me to plan out breaks and breathing time for myself. It sounds silly but a break is like a reward for yourself. You do work for an hour, have a 10 minute break; eat, nap, grab a coffee, grab some food, do whatever you want and appreciate it BUT then go back to working. This is particularly for those in school or university, but also, it can be for everyday life, try to stay active and keep your mind busy throughout the day. Although I love that I'll be trying to be more organised, I also want to be spontaneous, a bit of spontaneity is needed in life.

Another resolution of mine is to exercise more and eat as healthy possible. Incorporating a little bit of exercise into your life is necessary and very good for you. For many, exercising is a means to lose weight, but that's not the only reason to exercise. When I exercise I feel amazing and after whatever physical activity I do, I feel a lot better about myself and more positive. Exercising can be fun, find an activity you like. Personally, I like long distance running, sometimes interval training if I don't have much time on my hands, and I also have my own circuit training routine. I'm aiming to do about 30-60 minutes of exercise, if not more, a day. With regards to eating healthy, I don't plan on cutting any foods out of my life, what I mean by healthy eating is eating whatever I please but in a decent portion. Like if I want potato chips, I won't have a large packet, I'll have a handful or two, if I want to have 2-4 coffees a day, I'll cut down my sugar intake, for example, I'll have one teaspoon in my pure coffee but have 1/2 a teaspoon or none at all of sugar in an instant cup of coffee. It's just the little things that make a difference. I am an advocate in cutting NOTHING out of your diet, eat anything you want but be smart about it and don't forget to treat yo self.

One of the most important resolutions is to study smarter. I've tried every trick in the book for studying, from physically writing out notes from textbooks to typing notes to recording voice notes of me reading said notes to writing in different colours to using different coloured paper to everything you can possible think of! For me, I've had to change the way I study because university is a lot different to school. There is memorisation required but mostly you need to apply your knowledge particularly in law, which is what I study if you're a new reader of blog or just didn't know. I tried to physically write notes from textbooks, lectures and tutorials but couldn't keep up with the content so now I just type out my notes from the textbook and refine them during lectures and tutorials. The main objective this year is to stay ahead at least by one week or more if possible, depending on the subject. Printing out the readings and highlighting is what I've done for years and will continue to do because it helps me out a lot with assignments and exams because I organise them and write notes and all that jazz. My studying techniques might be different to yours, so what I suggest is that try different techniques and see what works for you, it's sort of like a trial and error.

Another hurdle this year is technology. I am one of those people who is constantly attached their iPhone and is always on a MacBook. BUT, the reasons a justified most of the time. Learning environments and institutes are circulated around technology so the thing is, you can't really escape the cycle of using a phone or laptop, because you need it to access certain materials and communicate with teachers, lecturers, tutorials and just a particular institute if need be. Slowly as we all develop, we all become more tech savvy and rely more upon technology. Don't know the answer to something? Google it? Don't know when that new movie comes out? Google it? Want to buy something? Go online. I love that technology is a convenient means for us and it is always helpful. Answers are at the palm of your hands. However, I feel like we simply rely too much on technology. If you're going out with friends, put your phones down and communicate, put them in the middle of the table and whoever picks it up first has to pay for everything or has to complete a dare or just think of an idea to stop yourselves from constantly using devices when you're with other people. If you want to go shopping, go to the store, although I love that online shopping exists and can be cheaper, sometimes the experience of going out and taking in some fresh air or the social aspect of shopping is a lot more fun than sitting at your computer and browsing. Basically, the challenge for me is to quit with using technology on a constant basis. It sounds silly because hey I'm a blogger and avid social media user but what I mean is that I won't be constantly loading and reloading Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and so on when I'm bored, but simply find something to do. 

One last resolution of mine which will absolutely be just difficult as my other ones is to spend less. I am a confessed shopaholic BUT I don't by items that way above my budget, I buy decently priced items but usually I just buy too much of one thing. I need to save my money but I just can't help but spoil myself, sometimes retail therapy just destresses me and I love that smell and feeling of a new purchase... and wow this is going to be incredibly difficult. 

I've concentrated on a small number of resolutions rather than listed a million resolutions because if you make a long list of what you want to achieve you'll never achieve them. If you have more resolutions, maybe achieve them one at time before starting a new goal.

Happy new year everyone, stay safe, healthy, be happy and live life to the very fullest.

Also you may have noticed that I changed the URL of my blog, I felt like this fitted me a lot better and it'll correspond real nice, and hopefully you all get used to it because I don't know if I will. Don't forget to subscribe to my blog, and follow me on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter, Google+ and Polyvore.