Let’s go back in time–before a picture of an egg got more likes than Kylie Jenner on Instagram and 21 Savage almost got deported back to the United Kingdom–to about two months ago to the last day of 2018. It was New Year’s Eve, and people were already coming up with resolutions for the new year: there were those who wanted to lose weight, learn a new skill, or quit an old habit. While some people made big commitments involving huge changes in their regular lifestyles, others decided to aim small like taking their dog out for longer walks.

Regardless of the weight (no pun intended) of the chosen resolution, most people do not last past the first month, let alone the first two weeks. The most common reason is usually that the resolution is not practical, too time-consuming, or cannot actually fit into a person’s daily life. Nevertheless, some students at NVOT, like juniors Kelly Unanue and Paul Migliaccio, made practical 2019 resolutions that they are still maintaining…so far.

Unanue said, “My New Year’s resolution was to read two books a month, and I’ve been doing it.” She explained, “Making this my resolution is really forcing me to make time for it.” She ended up reading two books over break. Unanue was able to make more time by cutting other things out of her schedule, like watching Netflix. She added, “I also keep a list in my room of all the books I’ve read this year, so that motivates me.”

Migliaccio’s resolution, though slightly different, also relates to education. His was to “minimize how much [he] procrastinated on a daily basis.” The motivation behind this choice was because he “would just procrastinate doing homework, and would get no school work done until late at night…And this would cause me to get very little sleep.” The results are mostly effective, so far, since he has “made some progress with slowly getting things done faster and on time”, but he added, “I could still procrastinate a little less.” He achieved this by leaving his phone on the floor while doing his homework, to avoid distraction.

On the other hand, some students did not last very long with their resolutions. Senior Caden Gallagher made his resolution to cut back on Starbucks. He said, “I made it to help my health because coffee ruins your teeth, and I was not drinking enough water. I haven’t cut back on it yet, though.” Gallagher added, “I drink it so often that my body has grown a need for it and I can’t survive without it. I am still to going to keep drinking it.”

Likewise, sophomore Brenna Krivoruk was also not successful in keeping her resolution. Her resolution was to “not let people break [her]” as well as to “lose weight, get off the phone, and get outside more.” She explained, “It’s easy to say things, but harder to make them happen.”

While some are managing to actually keep their resolutions, the real challenge is making it through the entire year. The key to maintaining a resolution is setting a practical goal and having the perseverance and motivation to stick to it.