Tag: new year

2020 Vision To Start The New Year!

Sorry, we couldn’t pass on the pun!

New Year’s Eve is almost here and for many, this means making lists of resolutions to keep in 2020. This year, before making a long to-do list, start with a vision of what you want the year to be instead.

Prioritize

Take some time to reflect over the past year(s) and think about what you’d like the new year to be like. What changes would you like to see and what would you keep the same?

There are many areas to consider: health, family, friends, academics and extra-curriculars (for students), hobbies and skill-building for the future and so on. Hot tip: focus on the areas that are most important to you and where you want to see change. Getting more active and healthy may be more critical than joining a book club so you can read more books (though that might be easier!).

As you prioritize, ideally you will find that you are focusing on just a few areas – and that’s a good thing. Starting the year with an overlong to-do list is daunting and it is probably not likely you will get them all done by year-end, so stick to the high-priority items that you know will make the biggest impact for you.

Visualize

Visualization is a common technique to give form for concepts and ideas. Along with writing down what you want to do, having visuals makes them easier to remember too. We’re recommend this simple, tangible and actionable approach.

• • Write down your priorities. For example, it may be “learn to play guitar”, “get more active and healthy” and “get better at writing”.
  • For each priority, find (or draw, which might be even more fun) an image – someone playing a guitar, someone playing basketball, a book you admire.
  • Put these images in your journal so you can get a quick visual reminder of what you are aiming to do this year.

By the way, if you’re not already keeping a journal, now’s a good time to start one. Even if you don’t write in it everyday, it makes it much easier to track your progress.

Itemize

Now that you have a “vision” of what you want to do based on your priorities, you can now get to the next level of detail and create specific goals.

For example, you might want to aim for a goal of running a 5K race if getting more active is part of your vision. It is important that the goals are achievable within the time-frame of the year and are within your reach. They could stretch your abilities a bit as long as they are doable. Once you have a goal identified for each of your priorities, write them down in your journal!

For both adults and kids, research has shown that all these steps will make it more likely that the goals are achieved, so put in the time – for yourself, and while guiding your younger child.

Historically, people have been making new year’s resolutions for centuries. A new year is a new beginning and brings with it tremendous possibilities. If you’re short on time and busy with end-of-year festivities, here’s our very short guide to help your reflect and refresh yourself now – and maybe work on the goals later!

Best wishes for the new year and the new decade in 2020 from the gang at Meemli!

Look Ahead To The New Year!

It’s almost December 31 and another year is winding down to a close! While you’re getting ready to celebrate ringing in the new one, take a little time look ahead to the new year and decide how you’d like it to be.

You don’t need “resolutions”, but a goal or two and a way to figure them out will help you get more out of the new year. Here’s an updated version of a post that’s a team favorite because it is so simple and works for pretty much everyone!

Look Ahead

At this time it is most important to Look Ahead to the Future! 

While you may reflect on the past (see below), don’t spend too much time dwelling on it. It’ll just tie you down to a time that’s gone.

Look ahead to where you want to be, not just for the next year, but maybe a year or two further. For example, if you’re a junior in high school, start thinking about senior year and college so you can make sure you’re taking the steps to get closer to your goals and dreams.

Reflect

Take a few minutes to reflect on the year that is just ending:

How was your last year overall: great, good, so-so, horrible?

What made you feel happy?

What made you sad, or angry or worried?

What accomplishments made you feel good about yourself?

Looking at the previous year will help you figure out what is really important to you. And it will help you narrow your focus to a small, manageable number of goals, and that makes it more likely that you will succeed in meeting them.

Review

Now that you’ve identified your experiences in the last year, dig in a little bit to see what you can learn from them.

Is there a pattern or common thread?

Can the things you liked be repeated through your efforts?

And can the things you don’t want to experience again, be avoided through your efforts?

What aspects of who you are would you like to see more of next year?

How did the events of the past year affect your “look ahead” goals?

Knowing what worked and didn’t work for you last year, and knowing what you want further down the road, will make it easier for you to figure out what to aim for as you set your goals for the new year.

Renew

Renew your commitment to the outcomes you want. Whether it is getting better at math, or starting your college planning, or improving your personal best time in cross-country running, or enjoying more quality time with your family, just commit to them now. You can fill in the details of how/when later.

Most importantly, regardless of how the past year was overall, there must have been a few times that made you feel good. Take a few moments to feel grateful for them. A little bit of gratitude can put you in the right frame of mind to look ahead to another brand new year!

Best wishes for the new year from the gang at Meemli!

#1 Tool For Success Is Your Daily Planner

Do you, like millions of others, suffer from to-do-list anxiety? Are you feeling so overwhelmed with what you have to do, you don’t even have the energy to start? Wish there was a magic wand to make it better? We’re not Hogwarts and don’t know much about magic wands, but we believe a daily planner could work like magic in making your to-do list less daunting!

But what if you feel you’re one of those people who doesn’t like planning? It appears that every article and how-to guide advises everyone to use planners and schools believe in them so much they even hand them out to the students (check out our earlier post on what’s popular with students). Here are some compelling reasons why even unstructured, spontaneous people might want to do some planning – especially if they’re students!

 

 

Save Your Brain

Between family, friends, school, and extracurriculars, your to-do list can be long and exhausting. With a daily planner, you don’t have to remember events and deadlines. Writing down tasks and events can free up some of your working memory bank to focus on other, more crucial information, like what you need for your test! If you can, try to keep a physical planner! Studies have shown that writing things down helps you remember things much better than typing them.

And of course, your planner doesn’t just have to be about things that you have to “work” on; use it to keep track of the fun things going on in your life like get-togethers with friends, so you’ll have something to look forward to!

Manage Your Time

Keeping a daily planner is a great way to help you visualize how you’re spending your time. A planner helps you clearly lay out your days of the week, so that you can appropriately budget your time and prioritize events or projects. If you have 3 due dates next Friday, maybe think about working ahead this weekend!

A planner can also help you see which areas of your life you might not be focusing on enough. Did you only leave 30 minutes to study for your final? Or are you not spending any time to do the things you love, like play guitar, read books, go running? Taking the time to sit down and write a planner can force you to think about how you’re spending your time, and can help you decide for yourself if you want to change it up. The planner helps you balance your time so you can fit in all the things that are important to you.

Get Stuff Done

By planning out your time in advance, you can figure out when you need to start something to make sure it gets done by the due date. You know yourself and can adjust for the fact you read slow but write fast, or find math easier than social studies. Keeping track of how you’re spending your time can also help you fit things in that you may not have thought you had time for! The daily planner can show you which days are light and which ones are packed and let you adjust what you get done and when – it can be your best friend during your busiest weeks!

Need another great reason to get comfortable using your daily planner? You’d have acquired an undeniably useful life skill that’ll keep you on top of any to-list that you encounter along the way – and still have time to be spontaneous if that’s what you want!

What do you think? Planners are over-rated or they’re the best way to reduce the stress of getting things done? Share your thoughts!

Senioritis. It’s a thing.

Are you feeling less than excited for your classes during this, your last semester at high school? Do you experience a strong desire to hang out with friends? Are you reluctant to even look at your books for this semester? If so, you may have come down with a case of senioritis. Yes, it’s real. But don’t worry! Our experts at Meemli are well-versed on the issue. Here are the answers to some of the most common questions about the affliction.

Who Gets It?

Senioritis is very common among high school seniors, affecting almost every one of them at some point or another. Senioritis is also incredibly contagious and spreads quickly within friend groups, so make sure your friends are not afflicted as well!

What Are The Symptoms?

Symptoms of senioritis vary with the severity of case, but may include the following: late assignments, declining test scores, or a general lack of academic motivation. Other more severe symptoms can include: skipping class, not turning in assignments, or poor second semester grades. As you can see, it’s important not to let your senioritis case worsen.

Is It Serious?

Some senioritis is perfectly normal. You’ve worked hard academically for the past 3 and a half years, you just went through the stress of college applications, and the end of high school is clearly within sight. A slight break on your part is well-deserved, and some of your second semester should be devoted to friendship, relaxation, and making memories.

However, it’s crucial to remember that your second semester of senior year still matters. Low second semester grades can lower your GPA, and can indicate to admissions officers that you aren’t committed to your education; every year, students get admission offers rescinded due to their second semester performance. But this isn’t meant to scare you! Senioritis can absolutely be overcome, but it’s easier to manage if it’s caught in the early stages.

What’s The Cure?

Experts are working furiously on the problem, but unfortunately, as it stands, there exists no known cure for senioritis – it can only be managed until it goes away on its own (after graduation). Throughout your second semester, it’s important to keep your eye on the prize and keep your end goal in mind: College. You want to look your best before leaving high school, and finishing strong academically helps maintain the image you’ve presented to colleges and future employers.

A great way to stay on track is to have friends that help keep you focused. If you and your friends make sure to buckle down and study between your other activities, it’ll be less tempting to slack off. Plus, you’ll still be spending time with friends!

A winning strategy is take out your planner and craft your schedule in advance, so you can stay on top of your assignments while still having some time for fun and friends. Scheduling helps reduce stress, something that should be relatively minimal during your second semester.

Senioritis affects millions of students every year, and can pose a significant challenge to those who don’t take notice and deal with it. But, with the right mindset and approach, you can keep up your awesome school record and still make your final semester of school the best one!

The Meemli team wishes you a speedy recovery from senioritis!