If you knew you couldn’t fail, what goals would you set yourself for this year? Maybe learning a new language or making travel plans? Setting up a side-hustle business or going back to college? Buying your first home or planning a wedding? I’m sure you’ve got plenty of things you’d like to do this year but it turns out that January isn’t always the best time to start a project.
Did you know that most people abandon their New Year’s resolutions in that first month? In fact, a study showed that 64% of folks in the UK and Australia have quit their goals before the end of January. So, with those kinds of stats against you, why would you even think of starting a resolution at the start of the year??
Instead, there’s no better time to start than today. RIGHT NOW! Yes, the end of February is just as good a time to make a resolution as at New Year, if not better – because you’re more likely to carry on with it throughout the year.
Here are some goals that you could start working towards right now…
Learning something new
Traditionally, the teaching year doesn’t begin in January, so it’s not as if you’ve missed out on starting a course by not making a New Year’s resolution. In fact, college or university courses often start in September, so now is the perfect time to start researching a course and putting your application together.
Or you could study an online course and start straight away. You can simply log on to an educational website, choose a language you want to study or a topic you want to explore, click purchase on the course and dive straight in!
That way, there’s no chance you’ll back out of doing the course, because there are no barriers to you studying it – you don’t have to travel to a learning centre, go through a long application process or attend interviews. With an online language class or virtual course, as soon as you’ve made the decision to do it, you’ll have your log-in details at the ready and can start within minutes.
This means that your goal is immediately in progress and you can feel great about your decision to start working towards it. You can even achieve a good chunk of studying straight away if you wish. Then, simply add a few hours into your calendar each week to make sure that you work through the online course materials at a good pace and you’ll be sure to succeed.
If you fancy studying a leisure learning course in-person, new classes for adults usually start each term so now is a great time to choose what subject you want to study after Easter when the summer term begins. Let’s face it, no one wants to drag themselves to an evening class when it’s dark and cold outside in the winter anyway.
Saving up for something important
Many people start a savings goal in the new year but then find that life gets in the way and they’ve fallen behind on their plans. In fact, I shared a few blog posts in January about saving up to buy your first home or to plan a thrifty wedding as I know that it can be extra tough to stick to money-related goals.
Whatever it is that you’re saving for, now is a great time to start because you’ll probably be getting paid your wages at the end of February. That means you’ll be able to pop a chunk of cash into a savings pot straight away, which will give you a sense of achievement and spur you on to do the same next month.
The trouble with starting a savings goal at New Year is that you have to wait a full month before you’re paid your salary and, often, we’ve still got things to pay for from Christmas, such as our credit card bills. Of course, you should prioritise paying off debts before starting to save and February or March is a much better time to start putting money into your piggy bank.
Prioritising your wellbeing
Today is always the best day to start prioritising your wellbeing. Whether you need to take a break to rest, relax and ease your stress levels or to pull on your trainers and start to move, there’s no better time to start than now.
It’s easy to see why many people give up on their wellness goals in January – it’s the coldest, darkest, deepest winter, where it’s difficult to get out from under the duvet, let alone go outside for a run or do a workout class.
Luckily, your wellbeing also includes doing what’s best for your mental health as well as your physical health, so there’s no harm in taking time in January to recover from the bustle of Christmas and the stresses of the previous year.
So, now that it’s nearing the end of February and the days are getting longer and lighter, you might feel more able to succeed in your wellness goals. And once you’ve got yourself into a routine during the warmer days of Spring, you’ll be more likely to continue it throughout the autumn and winter too.
Go for your goals now!
Sure, it might feel a little unusual to start a project in the second or third month of the year – but that means you’ve still got at least nine months to achieve your goal before the year is out. If you want to achieve something, there’s always a reason to put it off – not enough time, not enough money – but if you really want it, you’ll find a way of doing it, no matter what. So why not get started today?
Let me know what goal you want to set for yourself in the comments below and please share your plans for how you’re going to succeed too – I’d love to feel inspired by your plans and tackle some more goals myself. 😊
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This blog post is a collaborative post. The blog post reflects my own experience and the sponsor hasn’t had any control over my content 🙂
