11 Tips for a Great 2011!

Time flies when you’re having fun, and I’m sure you’ve all experienced the feeling of looking at your calendar and realising that half the year has flown by without you even noticing, or achieving the things you wanted to achieve! So, to help get 2011 off to a great start, I’ve compiled a handy list of tips to help you get organised and achieve your dreams this year.

Tip #1: Take a good look through your neofriend list

Are there friends on your list that you have lost contact with during the busyness of years gone by? A new year is a great time to reconnect with long-lost friends, and it can start with something as simple as a friendly neomail wishing them a happy new year! Additionally, now is a good time to consider whether you have accounts that have been disabled for many years taking up space on your list. It’s all very well to hope for the return of a neofriend who froze their account a long time ago – but the truth is, if they were truly a friend to you in the first place, they would send you a neomail notifying you if they ever decided to reactive their account, or they would simply get a new one. Having a mass of frozen accounts sitting uselessly in your neofriend list makes it more difficult to maintain effective contact with your current, active neofriends. So get organised and sort through that list – your social life will thank you for it!

Tip #2: Set goals for the New Year, and re-evaluate old ones

New years resolutions are notoriously hard to keep, but the idea of setting new goals to achieve each year is a good one! There’s nothing like a fresh new calendar full of possibilities to inspire you to finally get started on obtaining that elusive avatar, filling up a page of your stamp album, creating your dream gallery or treating your pet to a snazzy new paint job! On the same note, if you have been struggling fruitlessly for years to achieve a ridiculously hard goal, it may be time to re-evaluate whether or not it is a realistic one. It is all very well to dream big, but if the dream is unlikely to ever be achieved, continuing to hope for it without making any real progress is likely to create much more frustration and anxiety than it’s worth.

Tip #3: Organise your schedule

Did you find it hard to juggle soccer training, piano practice, mathletes meetings, cooking classes, your social life and school last year, while still finding time to fit quality Neopets time in? If you did, now is the time to organise that schedule and find out where you have time for a break. A well-organised daily life means that you’ll have more time to do the fun things you enjoy, while still making sure that your homework gets handed in on time!

Tip #4: Suggest a fun addition to your guild

A great guild is one that is full of active, helpful members. To celebrate the new year, help enrich your guild experience by suggesting a fun addition such as a new activity, new layout, or even a cool new ranking! Input from guild members is highly valued, so you may even find yourself moving up towards the guild council as a result of your helpful suggestions!

Tip #5: Make a nice pet page for each of your pets

A pet without a personalised pet page is like Santa without his reindeer – it just isn’t right! Don’t leave your pets in the cold this new year – make sure each of them has a nicely organised pet page with a personal touch. Stuck on what should go on this pet page? Never fear, I have some handy suggestions for you! Pet pages that have always stood out for me have included personalised artwork, a background story for the pet and a list of some individual qualities and character traits that make your pet special. If you want to make your pet feel even more special, read on for my next tip…

Tip #6: Give your pets a holiday!

Most of us have enjoyed a relaxing Christmas break, and the lucky ones among us may even have gone on vacation! So who’s to say that your pets shouldn’t have a holiday too? The Neolodge offers a broad range of accommodation, from budget-conscious (as little as 5 NP a night!) to supreme luxury. With even 5-star accommodation costing as little as 100 NP a night, there’s no excuse not to treat your precious pets to a little slice of luxury. They will love you for it!

Tip #7: Have a sale

Spread the festive New Year's cheer to your fellow Neopian citizens, and have a sale in your shop. Reducing your prices may help another Neopian to build up their gallery, or be able to afford that coveted item that was just out of their reach. Spreading goodwill and helping out others is a great feeling, and one that will definitely help get 2011 off to a lovely start!

Tip #8: Buy something you have always wanted

Whether it be on Neopets or in “real life”, the start of a new year is a great time to treat yourself to something that you have had your eye on for a while. Christmas has just passed, so the chances of someone else getting it for you are slim – all the more reason to reward yourself! Nothing feels better than finally owning something that you have worked hard to own, and purchased for yourself. So give yourself a little New Year's joy and don’t feel bad about splurging on yourself – indulging occasionally never hurt anyone, and it will help you with my next tip…

Tip #9: Set yourself a budget

We all know how hard it is to effectively save your pennies, but the start of a new year is a great time to work out a plan to make sure you end this year with more than enough in the bank to treat your loved ones to some nice Christmas gifts. ;) Start by figuring out how much you want to save this year, and then formulate some steps to help you achieve this. Your bank balance will thank you for it!

Tip #10: Make a new friend

Nothing feels better than getting the new year off to a flying start by forming a new friendship. You can do this by striking up a conversation with other users on the Neoboards, or by saying “hello” to the new kid at school – it really doesn’t matter! Others will appreciate the effort you have made to be friendly, and your reward could be a friendship that lasts a lifetime!

Tip #11: Think positively

My last tip is perhaps the most important one of all. Leave any negativity and frustration you may be holding onto behind you – that sort of thinking was so last year! A new year is a time for a fresh start, and you will find that everything is so much easier for you if you proceed with a positive attitude and a smile. Being a happy person leads to having a happy life, so keep a smile on your dial and have a blast this year!

Thank you for taking the time to read my New Year's tips – let’s hope they were helpful to you. I hope all of you have a fantastic and rewarding 2011!