If you have goals to be healthier in 2017 (lose weight, gain weight, maintain your weight, eat more veggies, meal prep, drink a gallon of water every), good for you! Your decision to better your health is one that you will never regret. But since your feed is probably overflowing with healthy tips and recipes this time of year, this blog post is for those of you who want to focus more on other aspects of life (myself included).

1. Set up an automatic withdrawal from each paycheck to go straight into a savings account. I always thought most people already did this, but as it turns out, it’s more uncommon than I thought. Even if you can only transfer $5 from each paycheck, it’s a great thing to do. This is one of my major goals for the year, and upping the withdrawal amount from each paycheck, whenever I can. Thanks to my mom and pops for teaching me how important this is.
2. Find a charity or organization that you’re passionate about and donate to it. This is something I’ve always struggled with, because you never really know where your money will end up. But put that aside. I think donating to something you care about is extremely rewarding. Whatever the organization uses your donation for, you know that you made a little bit of a difference. If you don’t have a little bit of extra money to donate, donate your time. Help your neighbor shovel snow, volunteer at an animal shelter, or pick up trash on the highway.
3. Take more pictures. And not just selfies. I used to be SO good about taking pictures with all of my friends and family, but I haven’t been great about it in the past couple of years. Part of my reasoning for that is because I’ve been more focused on trying to live in the moment, and not having my hands and eyes glued to my phone or camera. However, I think it’s important to take pictures so you have something to look back on. Take a few great photos, then put your phone away and enjoy the moment.
4. Clean out your closet before every season. Donate any clothes you haven’t worn in over a year. There are numerous reasons to do this, but the best part is that it makes more room for new clothes. 🙂
5. Take better care of yourself. You can do this without stepping foot in a gym. Take more hot bubble baths, stretch more often, get more sleep, drink more tea, light your favorite candles, turn off your phone and just do whatever makes you happiest.
6. Dedicate a certain amount of time every day to unplug. That’s right – no phone, no tv, no tablet. Find relaxation in something that doesn’t involve technology. Some of my favorites are reading, taking a bath, crafting, and going outside.
7. Keep up with your family and friends – outside of social media. My college friends live all across the country, so we stay up to date on each other’s lives with WhatsApp. It’s a free messenger app where you can send texts, photos, videos, and voice messages to each other instantly. We have been using it for over a year, and it was super helpful for wedding and party planning!
8. Pick up a new hobby. Challenge yourself to find joy in something you’ve never done before. You could be a talented painter, chef, woodworker, or photographer, without even knowing it!
9. Go somewhere you’ve never been. If a flight and hotel are not in the budget, go to a local park, store, museum, or restaurant. The key to sparking creativity and inspiration is being exposed to new people, places, and things. Happy traveling!

I hope these ideas encourage you to make 2017 your best year yet! Have other goal ideas in mind? Share them with me in the comment section!