It’s 2018 already! While this is the time to ring in the New Year with celebration, there is also no better time to commit to ending those bad habits! It can be daunting thinking about all the things you want to improve or change in your life for 2018, but these 5 habits I’ve laid out below can be a good starting point for you. Whether you have made your own personal New Year resolutions or not, these points will be great to practice in 2018.

One minute you’re telling yourself that you’ll just read a few more Facebook posts before bed, and the next you realised you’ve been mindlessly scrolling for the last hour. It’s almost impossible to avoid social media at all costs these days – so try setting some limits to restrain yourself. Putting your laptop and phone into another room when you get home can be helpful in achieving this goal, and try to find another hobby you enjoy (like reading or art) that doesn’t involve a screen!

Face it; you need to drink more water. Experts say that at a minimum you need to be consuming 8 glasses of water a day. Drinking enough water is one of the best ways to increase energy supply, help the body metabolize fat and, of course, avoid dehydration. Try finding a nice water bottle to carry around with you, or make a habit of having a few glasses with each meal. Your skin, brain and muscles will thank you for it.

So you don’t have time to go to the gym, and it’s too cold to run outside. Plus you are so hungry after work that you don’t have the energy to work out! Right? Wrong. In reality, I guarantee that if you have time to watch a few episodes of TV in the evening, you have time for a workout. Instead of waiting for dinner, have a healthy afternoon snack at work so you will be ready for an evening gym session. And remember anything is better than nothing, so go for a brisk walk or turn on a yoga video at home, your 2018-self will thank you for it.

Just like you have a schedule at work, make sure you incorporate your New Year goals and resolutions into a personal routine. If your resolution is to call your sister more often, then pencil in a set time block each week that works for you and make the call. It’s important to remember personal obligations and things you want to achieve, and make time to balance it in with your work life. If you don’t schedule these things in, it makes it harder to reason with yourself to make time and fulfil your goals.

Use 2018 as your year to sort through the clutter. Find a new filing system or orgnisational tool that works for you, and soon you’ll wonder how you went so long without it. If you want to stop spending entire Sunday’s running errands and cleaning around the house, try doing odds and ends gradually throughout the week, so you can sleep in on the weekend without feeling guilty about your to-do list.

I hope this list gave you some inspiration about your 2018 resolutions and goals! Remember not to be too hard on yourself if you slip up, what’s important is that you make proactive steps to keep working towards your goals throughout the year.

XOXO Ange