Last Updated on January 17, 2026 by Alexandra Markin, Dip.Mgmt.St.
New Year’s resolutions for online college students are a little different than the traditional “attend all lectures” or “join a campus club.”
As an online student, I know when we’re learning from home, a coffee shop or the couch, our routines and challenges differ from the traditional, on-campus college experience.
Every new year is a fresh start, and an opportunity to improve all aspects of your college life, not just academics.
This post suggests New Year’s Resolutions for online college students that are realistic, simple and customizable to your goals.
Happy resolution setting!
How to Set Realistic New Year’s Resolutions That Stick
Some research on resolutions indicates that approach-centered goals (I will study daily) versus avoidance goals (I will stop procrastinating) are more likely to succeed. That’s why the goals and resolutions I suggest in this post focus on what you can do, rather than what you can’t do!
Make sure your goals are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
I’ll give examples of specific actions you can take to work towards your goals rather than making sweeping declarations that go nowhere. The best New Year’s goals are realistic and achievable!
New Year’s Resolutions for Online College Students
1. Get Better Grades
Challenging yourself to get better grades is a very practical goal for many students. Improving your grades could lead to future scholarships or easier acceptance into some higher academic programs.
Getting better grades isn’t just about memorizing, but understanding the subject material to a greater extent by fully engaging.
Things you can do to improve your grades include:
- Using Active Recall techniques like flash cards or practice tests.
- Participating in class discussion boards to stay engaged.
- Doing all the supplemental or “extra” reading.
- Setting time aside each day to revise or review material.
- Starting assignments early instead of at the last minute.
2. Start a Journal
There are so many benefits to journaling. It provides an outlet for your thoughts, a clear record of events, or may even lead you to discover hidden patterns in your thoughts or actions.
Journaling is flexible, and you can tailor it to suit your needs. You may love to write on paper, or prefer to keep your thoughts on your phone or a word document.
The mode and method are up to you, but here are some journaling ideas:
- Keep track of a specific hobby or daily event. For example, some people keep a quote of the day, discuss what happened in their sport or team or keep a “photo of the day” journal.
- Use your journal to clear your head in the morning to start fresh, or in the evening to help empty your mind and wind down. This has been a huge stress reliever for me.
- Use your journal to improve your writing skills, handwriting skills or art skills with daily practice.
- A five-year journal is great for those who want to see progress.
- A motivational journal filled with your favorite pictures or quotes can be a record and a creative outlet.
- Start a bullet journal where you can easily be reminded of your New Year’s resolutions.
Many mental health professionals (my counselor included) recommend keeping a diary to better understand your thoughts, emotions and patterns over time.
3. Learn to Set Healthier Boundaries
Speaking of mental health, setting healthy boundaries is extremely important for online students. It’s easy for family members (and yourself at times) to take your time seriously since you aren’t leaving the house for set class times. Setting your own schedule is an advantage of online learning, but can also be a disadvantage if you let it.
Create set study hours, turn off notifications during those times and let the people around you know not to interrupt you.
Protecting your time and energy is necessary to show up for yourself and be more consistent in the long run. Believe me, I’ve learned the hard way.
4. Incorporate Healthy Eating
Let’s start by reframing this goal—replace the idea of quitting junk food or losing weight with discovering healthy, enjoyable ways of eating that work for you.
Eating less sugar and more whole foods is generally better for everyone. Many people, especially busy students, feel that for some reason spending money on a sweet treat seems to be easier than spending it on your favorite fruits, nuts or healthy snacks.
Instead of making drastic changes, add small and manageable changes to your routine over time. There is no magic diet or supplement that will suddenly lead to healthy eating—constant and consistent changes are the key to success.
A few of my favorite tips to incorporate healthier eating are:
- Learn a new healthy recipe each month. For example, making your own soup is a lot easier than you think!
- Start reading ingredients to be more aware of what you’re eating.
- Drink a glass of water when you wake up.
- Add a fruit or vegetable to each meal.
- Have healthier snacks on hand, like veggies and hummus or fruit and nuts.
- Try to make choices that add less sugar and salt to your diet.
5. Use Money Wisely
Many money resolutions are about saving more, making more or creating a budget. This is all excellent, but without an overall money plan, recording how much money you have (or don’t have) or putting away random amounts isn’t going to be very productive.
Using money wisely is about knowing where you stand. Setting up a simple net worth document that can be updated periodically can help you know how your efforts are trending, and assist to know when changes are needed.
You need to know how much you have, how much debt you hold and how much you’re spending each month, but changes come from having an overall vision of how to use money wisely.
- Analyze all the bills you’re paying and reduce unnecessary bills and subscriptions once a year.
- Pay yourself at the same time as paying your bills. View your savings as a bill that needs to be paid every month, invest it and then pretend that money no longer exists.
- Spend on what’s important to you, and don’t waste money on things that don’t reflect your priorities.
- Use a grocery list and plan your meals to reduce waste.
- Look into scholarships and grants. Many resources go unused each year simply because no one applies for them, and you can apply even as an online student.
- Join your local “Buy Nothing” group on Facebook.
Changing your money mindset is key. I highly recommend the book The Psychology of Money to help frame your mind to the overall picture.
6. Network
This is probably one of the most beneficial but most difficult resolution for online students. Spending so much time online is convenient, but this lifestyle can be a hurdle to building true connections.
What can you do as an online student to build better community and lean into real life this year? Here are my top tips:
- Sign up for an in-person community class or seminar.
- Volunteer at a special event or local charity.
- Participate in online class discussions and message boards.
- Attend local community events, professional events or academic seminars.
- Join Facebook groups for your school.
7. Improve Your Math Skills
This one came as somewhat as a shock to me. Many degrees have some kind of required mathematics course.
I had to suffer through Statistics for Business and Economics—levels 1 AND 2— during my Bachelor of Commerce degree.
However, having somewhat strong math skills actually has benefits as an adult (surprisingly!) Solving math problems can help to strengthen your mental pathways leading to clearer thinking, better focus and logical reasoning. Some studies on solving math problems even suggest that math can lead to improvements in how your brain works.
If you have math classes in your curriculum, here are a few of my favorite resources:
- Khan Academy’s free math lessons are a great place to start, from simple math to more complex problems.
- Learn how to organize your math notes when learning from a textbook.
You may have happily put math behind you after high school, only to have it reappear in college when you least expect it.
8. Move Your Body
Like almost every student, odds are you’re considering making a health and wellness type resolution for the New Year.
Any increase in movement, especially if you’re spending a lot of time sitting at a desk, can be beneficial for your physical and mental health. It’s recommended that you start slowly, and consult medical professionals if need be. Many people get overly ambitious in their New Year’s goals, injure themselves, and are sidelined before they even really begin.
Here are some simple ways to increase your movement and exercise this year:
- Stretch while you’re waiting—for the bus, for that pot to boil, for that commercial to be over.
- Walking more is a great place to begin. Start with 1,000 steps, increasing your steps by 100 each day.
- Step out of your comfort zone and try some new exercises.
- Learn a new sport, like tennis or ice skating.
- Find people to walk or exercise with you. It’s more fun, and keeps you accountable!
Recommended Read: How to Stay Healthy as an Online College Student: 10 Tips for Success
9. Embrace New Technology
Have you been putting off learning how to use the newest tech? Keeping on the edge of new technologies comes with a learning curve, but it’s worthwhile to adopt and incorporate new tech, or to even give some attention to how you’re using technology to make your life better.
Here’s some ways upgrade your relationship with tech:
- Back up your important photos and files on an external hard drive.
- Learn about the newest tech tools and offerings in your disclipline.
- Learn about AI and the role it plays in your studies—and the policies your school has with using it.
- Protect yourself with a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
- Use a password manager to step up security and save log in time to all the various platforms we use as online students.
Recommended Read: Do I Need A VPN As An Online Student?
10. Improve Your Study Habits
As a student, working to upgrade your study skills is a New Year’s Resolution that complements your goals. Improving your study habits is an effective way to garner results.
What study tips and techniques can you use to update your study routine? Don’t study harder, study smarter!
- Try the Pomodoro Technique to work efficiently.
- Practice spaced repetition to increase your memory recall.
- Handwrite custom flashcards for your next course.
- Set time aside each day to study, making it a part of your daily routine.
Recommended Read: 19 Productivity Tips for Online Students
11. Curate Your Environment
Where you spend most of your time has a big impact on how you think and feel. Making a few small changes can make your current living space much more comfortable.
Your environment includes all things that affect your senses: sound, temperature, and even what you wear or how you get around.
Here are various big and small ways to optimize your environment this year:
- Does your home need a New Year’s refresh? Apartment Therapy has a great yearly challenge to start the year with a clean and calm home.
- Spend some time optimizing your study space. Do you have enough light, a comfortable chair, good storage for your supplies?
- How about that study playlist? Time to make a new one? Music and sound can play an important role in your study routine.
12. Make a Reading List
Do you have a mile-long list of books you want to read “someday”? Reading can improve your mood, be a healthy escape from stress and is a much better use of your time than mindlessly scrolling to fall asleep.
Make a resolution to get through your reading list this year with these simple tips:
- Make a list of books you want to read this year.
- Set a time each day for uninterrupted reading time. Before bed, during a break or in the bath can help you unwind and destress.
- Waiting for an appointment or your ride? Try pulling out a book instead of your phone game.
- Join a local or online book club, or invite some friends to start one.
Recommended Read: 6 Life-Changing Books Every College Student Should Read
New Year’s Resolutions That Actually Last
New Year’s resolutions for online college students don’t have to be all-or-nothing to be meaningful. I’ve been very guilty of this in the past.
The most impactful changes often come from small, intentional habits that support your real life—not an unattainable, romanticized version of it. Whether you’re creating healthier boundaries, learning new study methods or simply trying to show up more consistently, remember that progress counts.
Give yourself permission to adjust and reset. This year is about building routines that help you succeed long after January ends.
Did any of the New Year’s Resolutions above resonate with you? Let me know in the comments what some of your resolutions are!
If you found this post helpful, sign up for my email list below and follow me on Instagram and Pinterest to join our online student community. You don’t have to go through your study journey alone!
