This guest post is written by Mr. Ryan Simbulan, a student from the Technological Institute of the Philippines.

Goodbye 2017, hello 2018! A new year means a new page in your life. You now have 365 more days to do new things and have more opportunities. Here are some ways you could start off your 2018 with!

 

7 Ways to Start off Your 2018

Meet someone new

A great to start the new year is to meet someone new. A stranger can be one of your best friends or partner. New connections can open doors and bring opportunities your way. So, don’t be shy and expand your peer circle!

 

Declutter

Start 2018 more organized! Sort your shelves and remove the things that you won’t use anymore. You could give these to someone else who would need it more. Try to keep your things organized throughout the year or declutter once in a while. More space on your shelves means more space for things that you can add!

 

Learn new skills

List down all the skills you think you need and all the skills you want to learn. Take them on one by one. A better set of skills can help your career. It will also be good if you could plan on how you could apply your newly acquired skills. You could also learn more by attending training programs!

 

Read more

Increase your focus, learn new perspectives, and improve your cognitive functions through reading. And according to this article, reading can also reduce stress, increase your vocabulary, and improve your memory.

 

Go out more

Research has proven that being outdoors has a lot of health benefits such as better skin, healthier respiratory system, and improved physique. Being outdoors also helps in clearing your mind from all the stress and thoughts it gathered. Spend time outside by taking a walk, a jog, or simply basking in the sun.

 

Plan smarter

Plan your 2018 smarter. Take note of the things that didn’t go as well last year and take precautionary measures for this year. If you plan to travel, take note of your available leaves and the holidays. Make sure that you could handle your workload efficiently before you take any time off so that you (and the organization) won’t suffer from the backlog. Other things that need to be planned should be planned as early as possible.

 

Focus on your goal

Set your goals. And then plan on how you will achieve your goals, as well as the time needed to do so. Try to keep away from distractions as much as possible. Make sure that your goal is something that is SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Bound.

 

We hope you have a wonderful 2018!