Column: Avoiding overcommitment in 2023

Maddie Zimmerman, Staff Writer

I’m sure you’ve seen the resolutions of others blasted all over social media. Some may want to go to the gym or do yoga every single day, drink less coffee or study for tests 3 weeks in advance.

With seeing all of these amazing ambitious goals, it’s hard to distinguish what your goals are and which ones are actually obtainable. Try not to get caught up in other people’s goals. Everyone has different incomes, time management skills and lifestyles. It’s important that you don’t overcommit yourself this year.

The perfect way to start picking out your goals is to reflect over your past year. What were fun things you did, things you accomplished, things you want to improve upon, things that may have gone differently than you anticipated? This is an easy way to pick out a few skills to work on.

I would pick out three to five main goals. By not making a running list, you’ll be able to dedicate more time to the goals you have picked out. This makes it more likely that you’ll be able to accomplish your goals this year. 

A “mood board” is a fun way to visualize your goals and serves as a fun activity and reminder to keep on display throughout the year. Collect pictures and words digitally or physically and create a collage. A perfect place to find cute and aesthetically pleasing pictures is Pinterest. You can make boards for each goal or just make a board for your goals for 2023. You can make the board digitally on Canva, which is free and super easy to use, or you can print out the pictures you have found and glue them onto a piece of poster board. This is a great way to also use your inner creativity to enhance your mood board. 

For example, for making meals at home, I would find pictures of good-looking meals and make a board on Pinterest. I could also include pictures of written-out recipes, meals I have personally made before, pictures of cute kitchens, etc. Anything that reminds you of cooking from home that can help you visualize physically cooking in your kitchen. Make sure that if you print out your mood board that you hang it somewhere you always will see it. This is a great way to make sure that you are always thinking about your goals and are visualizing yourself actively accomplishing them.

I have seen on TikTok that people are creating bingo boards of their smaller goals. Each time you accomplish a goal you get to cross it off and each time you get a bingo you reward yourself. This is a great way to have fun accomplishing your goals but also a way to acknowledge that you are putting in the work to accomplish your goals. 

All in all, make sure that you are putting in the work towards achieving your goals but also that you are acknowledging your accomplishments. You can do this. Prioritize yourself and your goals this new year.