2023 Will Be My Year: 10 Habits to Get Into Right Now

Happy New Year! 2023 is well and truly here, which means it’s a fresh start and a time to develop new habits.

If you aren’t sure what good habits to set yourself, then be sure to check out our guide on the best 10 to get into right now.

Take control of your life and become a happy, healthier version of yourself – 2023 is your year!

After all, it’s said to take 21 days to kickstart a new habit so why not get started this Jan and become the new you?

1. Eat Better

One good habit you could develop to kick start this year is to eat better.

Now the holidays are over, take the time this month to maintain a healthy and well balanced diet, not only can it improve your physical health but your mental health too.

Many people take up veganuary which is an annual challenge to follow a plant based diet for the month of January, why not give it a go?

Eating less meat not only benefits your body and mind, but also the planet and even your bank account too!

If you don’t feel like doing the challenge, try to eat better by practising new recipes that you’ve wanted to try and eat more fruit and veggies.

There’s nothing wrong with a treat here and there but eating too much junk food can impact our health.

You could even get your flatmates involved and practice cooking new things together, after all you’ll probably be more inclined to stick to the healthy eating habit if your friends are doing so too!

2. Drink Less

There are many habits that people try to adopt in the New Year to improve themselves and their lifestyles, but as a student one which is super important to try this year is to reduce your alcohol consumption.

We’d suggest trying out Dry January, which is a 31-day challenge where people go alcohol free and take a break from drinking.

It can have many benefits like improving your sleeping pattern, your state of mind, concentration and productivity levels to name a few.

Plus, you’ll have less hangovers and be able to focus on studying – it might just be the solution to get more work done!

Over the holidays, you may have drank more than usual so, why not have a total reset for your body and mind and go alcohol free for the month?

You’ll even save more of your student loan from not spending it all in the pub buying pints so this habit is a win win.

If you notice positive changes and are successful with the challenge, you may develop a healthier relationship with alcohol and reduce your consumption on a permanent basis this year!

3. Read More

As a student, chances are, you read everyday whether it’s consuming content on your phone, reading news articles or reading books in the library whilst studying for your degree.

However, when was the last time you actually read a book because you wanted to and not because it was on your reading list for uni?

We’d suggest spending some time finding a good book or book series to pick up to start the year right.

If you struggle to get your head into a book, try to read a little every day so it feels more manageable and is something you enjoy doing.

If you’re someone who spends a lot of time in front of the telly or on your phone (let’s face it, we all did over the holidays) opt to read more instead to reduce your screen time!

Struggling with your mental health or need more motivation?

There are plenty of self help books out there to read to help develop healthy habits and become the best version of yourself.

4. Save Money

Now Christmas is over and done with, one habit which you can get into is saving money.

It’s a great habit to get into for the New Year, especially if you found yourself struggling to stretch your student loan to the end of term!

It may be easier said than done with the current cost of living crisis, but try to prioritise saving your pennies by setting realistic and achievable goals.

Firstly, think about what it is you want to save for to push yourself to put aside money, whether it’s putting money aside to book more festivals this year, travel more or have more money to visit friends and family, whatever the reason, visualise it!

Some other ways to save money is by making a budget to track your spending so you know where your money is going and you and you can see where changes or cutbacks can be made.

You may find you have subscriptions you can cancel to save money, or you can opt to eat out less or go to the pub less to stretch your budget further.

Not only will it have a positive impact on your bank account but your mental health too, start the habit now and put money aside when the next loan drops!

5. Volunteer Your Time

Volunteering is a fulfilling and rewarding way to give back to your community and it can look great on your CV whilst at uni.

If you’re wanting to develop new habits for 2023, volunteer your time by searching for opportunities within your area, or your uni website may be a good place to start.

Volunteering is also a great way to meet new people and experience new things that you otherwise wouldn’t have.

We’re not saying you have to sacrifice tons of your free time, but even just a few hours per week can do the world of good!

With the current cost of living crisis, more and more people are struggling, so spending time working at a local food bank or supporting those in need can be super helpful.

They say that volunteering can improve our happiness and well being, so go out there and see what you can get involved with.

6. Talk To New People

Now the first few months of the academic year are over and we’re into a new term, one habit which you should get into right now is to talk to new people.

If you didn’t step out of your comfort zone last year as much as you’d like and don’t have that big of a social circle, get into the habit of speaking to people, even when it feels daunting.

Whether it’s opting to chat to a stranger everyday on campus, in your student accommodation or in societies or clubs, try to reach out and spark conversations with people.

Expand your social circle and you may just find some new besties who share similar passions and interests to you.

It’s normal to be nervous about speaking to new people, but everyone’s in a similar boat.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself about making new friends, but try to say yes to more invitations or offer out invites yourself and see what happens!

7. Get Physical

How good do you feel after exercising?

There’s so many benefits for your mental and physical health so ensure you get into the habit of exercising even if it’s just 30 minutes a day.

If you struggle finding the time or motivation to fit regular exercise into your daily life, create a plan to stick to for 2023.

Figure out when you’ll exercise such as, will it be before or after you go to uni or where you’ll exercise whether it’s in the gym or at home.

This way, you’ll be more likely to stick to exercising if you have something to follow.

You could even ask a friend to join you if they’re wanting to be more physically active this year too.

The key is to enjoy doing physical exercise so, if you prefer going for long walks rather than sweating in a spin class then do what feels best for you and you’ll reap the benefits!

8. Focus On Being Organised

Despite the best of intentions, you may have found that you struggled with organisation last year whether it’s putting off deadlines, leaving your Christmas shopping till the last minute or neglecting to clean your uni flat.

If you spent last term putting off things you needed to do and let things get on top of you, then start by identifying the areas of your life where you want to be more organised and think about what it is you want to accomplish.

Once you’ve done this, create a plan to follow so that your tasks seem more manageable and you can stay on track.

It’s not easy, especially with a big workload and other responsibilities at uni, but by creating plans and to-do lists you’ll be able to stay focused and productive – small steps are key.

Getting into the habit of being organised will have positive impacts on your life in the long run when you graduate uni!

9. Practice Mindfulness

As cliche as it may sound, it’s so important to practise mindfulness.

It can be so easy to rush through life and forget to be there in the moment, you may have blinked and another year is already beginning – we sure have!

Try to spend more time paying attention to your life and be aware of your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings in a non-judgmental way.

Get into the habit of practising mindfulness on a daily basis, by setting aside time to focus on your breathing, paying attention to your senses and being present.

Some other ways to be more mindful is by taking a long walk or meditating everyday.

Being mindful can really improve our wellbeing and make us enjoy the world around us more, get into the habit early on and you’ll notice the differences!

10. Celebrate Little Wins

Sticking to new habits can be difficult, so don’t feel disheartened if you go off track with any of the habits that you set for the new year, it takes time and dedication to make progress.

If you do accomplish new habits, make sure to celebrate small victories even if they don’t feel that big, they are!

Whether it’s cutting back your alcohol consumption for a few weeks, eating less red meat, being more mindful, the list goes on, you’re making positive changes to develop healthier habits in your life and that’s amazing.

Achieving small wins can give you a sense of accomplishment and make you feel good about yourself, which can help to keep you on track and motivated.

Stick at it and give yourself a pat on the back, remember every small win will lead to a big one!

We hope these habits to get into for the New Year have been helpful, but remember that you should set goals which are important to you and only you, not anyone else!

It may be that these habits don’t align with you and your life, so go out and create your own to make 2023 your year – you’ve got this.

With a brand new year, why not sort out your student accommodation for the next academic year if you haven’t done so already?

Here at Essential Student Living we have properties in first class locations across the UK.

Read next: Tricks And Hacks On How To Prevent A Cold This Winter.