Make 2018 Your Year – Tips for every month of the year

With 2017 over, the world has come to the conclusion that it was a failed year of note, although some may beg to differ – others (especially me) are dusting the year off their shoulders and shimmying into 2018 bright-eyed and bushy-tailed with new hopes and dreams. 

You may or may not have your list of resolutions that you are determined to follow through with because 2018 is absolutely going to be your year, but to make things just a bit better; here are some tips for each month to help you succeed and make 2018 your year with a month on month plan.

Monthly Plan on how to succeed in 2018

January – Start a morning routine (Anchor link points)
February – Feb – Drink more (No not alcohol ;-))
March – Work your body
April – Clear your mind
May – Watch your profanity
June – Forgive and Forget
July – No excuses
August – Do something you don’t want to do (not life-threatening )
September – Don’t be an angry bird
October –  Treat yo’self
November – Help thy neighbour  
December – Be unapologetically you

 

January – Start a morning routine

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? Check emails, scroll through Facebook, take an “I woke up like this” selfie?

Developing a (proper) morning routine will help you ease into the day stress-free and clear-headed because you didn’t spend the morning sitting on the edge of your bed wondering what you were going to do after you washed your face. 

 

Here’s an example of a good morning routine. 

1. Start by sipping on some water when you open your eyes to rehydrate your body and to give it a kickstart #WaterIsLife 

2. Pray, meditate or reflect on some things you’re thankful for. Five minutes max! 

3. Make your bed. It takes less than two minutes and you’ll be so thankful to yourself when you get home (First task of the day done. Easy!)

4. Wash your face, brush your teeth and/or take a shower 

5. Have a beverage

6. Get dressed

7. Grab your goodies; it’s time to start a great day!

 

February – Drink more

Water. We mean water. 

Other than being free (most of the time, but now slightly endangered), water is calorie free, versatile and something you can drink constantly without being judged. To zhoosh up your water, add a slice of cucumber and lemon to a pitcher or glass of water, or stuff yummy fruits into a bottle like this and let it steep for at least an hour so the flavour can release into the water. If that’s too much effort or you don’t like flavoured water, just sip from one of these funky bottles. 

 

 

Try one of these thirst-quenching fruit-infused water recipes that burst with flavour:

 

Watermelon and Basil Water

What you’ll need:

2 slices of watermelon, cut into thirds or quarters

Small handful of basil, scrunched

1 litre of water

Ice

 

Method:

Fill the pitcher with the fruit, herbs and ice, then top it with water. Give it a stir to release flavour quicker.

Note: When pouring water into a bottle or glass, leave the fruit in the pitcher so you can make more of the infused water.

 

Strawberry Mint Water

What you’ll need:

6 – 8 sliced strawberries

A handful of mint leaves

1 litre of water

Ice

                                                                        

Method:

Add some ice to a pitcher and drop in the sliced strawberries and mint. Top up with water and let the fruits and herbs steep. Refill the pitcher with water as needed. Discard the fruit after 12 hours.                                     

Note: Muddle the leaves before adding them to the pitcher for a more intense flavour.

 

 

March – Work your body

Unless you already wanted to start pumping iron or taking 20 minute runs to nowhere, you don’t have to commit to a gym contract. Little changes like taking the stairs instead of the lift and doing push-ups against the countertop while waiting for the water to boil are easy ways to wake your body up after sitting at a desk or in a bus for a long time. Thereafter, you can create a quick little routine for yourself to do a couple of times a week and increase it at a later stage if you wish. No pressure, bro. 

 

April – Clear your mind

Don’t roll your eyes, we don’t mean yoga (although it’s not a bad idea)

The end of a working day usually sounds something like this “Oh my gosh, I need my bed, my head is killing me”. Unconstipate your brain by brewing yourself some of the good stuff and writing down all of your thoughts so you can lay your head down free from any pressing thoughts. You can address this later when you’re more relaxed and able to make sense of everything. 

To stay on top of matters and to ensure you always have them right by you, make use of a helpful app such as Wunderlist. Microsoft liked this task-management app so much; it bought the company behind it. If you have an iPhone, use this iOs download link. If you’re all about that Android life, you’ll have to use this Android download link.

Now that your mind is clear and free, wind down completely by practising a quick yoga sesh. Don’t have the goods? We’ve got you covered. Check below for everything you need. 

 

Yoga Mat

Prevent a spontaneous slip and slide with one of these mats. 

 

 

Gear

In all honesty, you could do yoga in your undies, but to avoid embarrassment from surprise walk-ins, gear up. 

 

 

May – Watch your profanity 

People can be annoying, spilling coffee is so frustrating, and bumping your little toe against the table is a doing of the devil, but take it easy mate, things aren’t that bad. For some, using bad words is something that is done unconsciously, but try to catch yourself and say something like “chicken nugget”, “chocolate sundae”, “fish and chips” – these are words that everyone likes to hear. You’ll feel better about what just happened and those around you won’t run and hide to avoid getting stung by your sharp tongue.

 

June – Forgive and forget 

Not everyone deserves forgiveness, but you do. Bearing a grudge against someone is hard work. The thought of that person and their actions against you is enough to wipe a smile off your face, ruin your appetite and dampen your mood, but only if you let it. Forgiving someone means setting yourself free from the hold that your anger against them had over you. Perhaps what they did is so bad that you could never be friends with them again after you’ve forgiven them, but it’s called forgive and forget, not forgive and be friends again. 

 

July – No excuses 

When something goes wrong, we’re quick to blame anything and everything, but ourselves – or when it is us, we make excuses as to why we messed up. There’s a huge difference between an excuse and a reason. An actual reason won’t leave you sheepishly explaining what happened. Once you start learning to take accountability for your actions, you’ll be able to achieve so much more. By understanding that you made a mistake will help make you a better person and you’ll sleep better because you won’t be arguing with yourself in your head about whose fault it really was. BUT! Don’t take the fall for something that absolutely was not your fault. When you start being true to yourself, it will be easy to decipher whose fault it is anyway.

 

August – Do something you don’t want to do

Not doing something you don’t want to can being very limiting when it comes to experiences, but if it’s clearly a risk that endangers your life, don’t do it. What we mean is talk to that cute guy or girl that you see in the coffee shop every day, go on that rollercoaster that you so longingly look at, but won’t do because – heights. The only way to change your life is to start doing things you’ve never done before. 

 

September – Don’t be an angry bird 

You have no idea how anger and rage can lessen the value of your life. You miss out on so much because someone said something mildly offensive, but it left you fuming so you’re not going to enjoy that delectable dessert, you’re not going to watch that new movie and you absolutely will NOT be speaking to said person. You know what said person is going to do? Everything that you aren’t. Learning to control your anger is not an easy feat, if it was, there wouldn’t be anger management classes and articles about channelling your anger. If you feel your temper rising, excuse yourself, walk away, just zone out. You don’t need to put up with someone who is testing your levels. Also, get a stress ball. 

 

Practice taming your temper with these helpful tips:

Recognise your anger signs. Does your heart rate and breathing increase? Do you clench your fists? Rather walk away or follow the next steps to calm yourself down. 

1. Count to 10

2. Breathe slowly

3. Take a walk

4. Looking after yourself may keep you calm. You’d be surprised at how the little things can upset you if you didn’t get enough sleep or if you’re not feeling well.

5. Talk about how you feel. Talk it out with a friend or a complete stranger. Sometimes saying things out loud can help you gain perspective on how to deal with an issue moving forward. 

 

October – Treat yo’self 

In this sense, to treat yourself means to treat yourself better. We are our own biggest critic and we are so quick to judge ourselves and dissect every detail that we only see that bad and not the good parts that everyone likes about us.

Are you a funny person? Own it.
Do you have great skin? Flaunt it.
Are you a fantastic cook? Make something delicious and enjoy it without criticising it.

You have so many good things about yourself, embrace it. 

If you don’t love yourself, who will? Treat yourself with one (or all) of these ways.

1. Do nothing. Give yourself some time out. Give yourself the gift of five minutes of breathing room to clear your mind.

2. Feed your body something nutritious. Treating yourself isn’t synonymous with chocolate cake.

3. Play with baby animals. Visit an animal shelter and just let yourself gush over the cuteness of tiny paws and googly eyes. 

4. Treat yourself to a DIY pamper session.

5. Go see a movie in the middle of the day. You’ll have the cinema all to yourself without anyone kicking the back of your seat.

6. Get yourself something new. On a tight budget? Visit the second-hand store. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

7. Make yourself a delicious dinner without holding back.

8. Hate family gatherings because Aunt Dolores always has something to say about your eating habits, love life and career? Tell them they can miss you with that nosy business and give yourself a staycation.

9. Say no. If you don’t want to help Tina with that time-wasting and non-essential task, just say nah.

10. Take a nap.

 

November – Help thy neighbour  

This could be in the physical sense of actually helping someone with changing a tyre or by making a simple choice to buy fruit from the stall without asking for a discount. It may not seem like a big deal to you, but it could mean the world to someone else and you will actually feel good about yourself, no matter how small the act. 

Random acts of kindness 

1.Take out the bin for your neighbour on bin day

2. While cutting your grass, cut theirs too

3. Hold the door open for someone

4. Smile. This can seriously cheer someone up

5. Say thank you. It doesn’t matter how small the act or service.

6. Spend some time with a friend who’s going through something.

7. At the till with ten items and the person behind you has one? Let them go before you.

8. When you’re done packing away your groceries, put your trolley in a space that won’t bother anyone

9. Go watch that movie your S/O really wants to see

10. Give someone a compliment

 

December – Be unapologetically you 

So you picked up some new habits along the way that may have improved the kind of person you are overall, but you are still you and shouldn’t strive to be anyone other than a better version of yourself. Being yourself is easy and as Dr.Seuss says “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” 

Stay inspired and motivated with these quotes