On this most auspicious of occasions (the occasion being a new semester and a new year), allow me the privilege of making a suggestion or two that might be helpful in making it one of the most successful semesters yet. Around this time of year, when the previous ends and the next begins, it is customary in the Western world to make a resolution, or perhaps multiple resolutions, as promises to ourselves to improve something in the new year. Perhaps we promise ourselves we will lose weight or read more books.
Whatever the resolution may be, if you’re anything like me, you’ve faced this seemingly inevitable truth as the new year progresses: that somehow life gets in the way and these promises we make ourselves go unfulfilled.
This can be a discouraging and even depressing truth as we begin 2016 with high hopes and standards for ourselves. So how do we avoid this seemingly unavoidable disappointment? One option would be to not make any New Year’s resolutions. But what if you’re the kind of person who wants to better yourself? What if you’re the kind of person who wants to improve and expand your mind, like the kind of person you probably are if you’ve enrolled in a school of higher learning? What is another option?
I would suggest that if we want to be successful, we copy what successful people do in a situation where they want to set goals and fulfill them. We should make a list. And I don’t mean simply writing down the resolution you want to keep on a piece of paper; I mean, like the wealthy and successful, we should write down realistic and detailed goals for ourselves every day that will help us reach these ultimate goals of personal improvement to avoid procrastination and maintain focus and control (Corley).
A New Year’s resolution is a lot like a college writing assignment. It’s a goal that we all have the best intentions of keeping, but in many cases other responsibilities (or bad habits or simple procrastination) get in the way of our best intentions. If you feel yourself getting distracted or overwhelmed as a student and a writer with academic tasks this semester (or even if you don’t but want to prevent it from happening), I humbly offer the services of the Writing Resources Center. We can assist in various ways. We can help you outline your paper efficiently and effectively or help you map out your timeline for writing; we even develop strategies curtailed specifically for you. This will help you reach your writing goals with the least amount of stress.
So when you set those New Year’s resolutions, and you’re presented with a new semester’s writing assignments, don’t try to take on these challenges without a plan. When it comes to writing, let the writing center help you design this plan. The tutors in the Writing Resources Center are eager to help you at any stage of the writing process, including initial brainstorming sessions and researching. Although it may seem difficult to keep up with the goals we set for ourselves, when we actually follow through, we are left feeling better than before. Don’t leave those resolutions unfulfilled; let us help you take the first steps towards a happy and successful academic year.
Happy writing!
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Resources
Tom Corely. “Resources A Peak at the To-Do Lists of the Wealthy.” 2013. success.com. http://www.success.com/article/a-peek-at-to-do-lists-of-the-wealthy