After all the unpleasant “Thanks 2016” blame posts that popped up on my news feed toward the end of December, it became clear that most people, or the vocal ones at least, could really use a fresh start. It’s easy to look at others and say, “Why wait for a new year to make resolutions and change something big in your life? Shouldn’t you be able to start whenever?” In reality, it’s unlikely the average person will make a drastic life switch or even kick a bad habit without some kind of push.

Making New Year’s resolutions can be just as effective as spring cleaning. Instead of uncluttering a house and throwing away unwanted trash and belongings, the same can be done with unhealthy routines or new aspirations.

The adrenaline rush created when the sparkly ball drops from the top of Times Square or when fireworks go off over a city skyline at the end of a countdown is so highly anticipated because everything we do in life is based on a timeline. When one year ends, we’re forced to evaluate what we now want for ourselves in the brand new untouched year in front of us. It’s important to take advantage of this time and really reflect on improvements we can make and ways to grow.

I took a quick survey of 10 friends, who are all college students or recent graduates, to see if they made 2017 resolutions. Seven had made them, while the other three didn’t because they felt they had never been able to consistently keep them and actually follow through. Some of the resolutions included wanting to eat healthier, spending less money, staying organized, taking more initiative at work, taking out unwanted people in their life and traveling more.

Is it completely impractical for my friends to achieve these goals? Absolutely not. The start of a new year just means another chance to remind ourselves what we want in life, and the steps we need to take to achieve our goals. Cheers to a year of fewer celebrity deaths and less White House negativity. As for me, my resolution is to write better columns.