It’s the beginning of January, and we all know what that means. It’s time to take a look at our lives, figure out what we want to do different and resolve to better ourselves. According to a slew of recent articles, the key to effectively implementing New Year’s resolutions is not willpower. Instead, it’s a combination of setting specific goals (or intentions) and rewarding progress. For more helpful hints, try using these tips for success.

With the prospect of starting fresh, we’ve compiled a list of personal to-dos from our PR staff.

Simone: Be better at keeping in touch with dear friends who have moved far away.

Brooke: Spend less money, in order to save more – a.k.a., buy fewer pairs of shoes.

Jenni: Start learning conversational Italian and add a stamp to my passport.

Ashley: Set aside time to check off some books from my reading list.

Randi: After a five-year “retirement,” start competing in triathlons again.

Whitney: Spend more time with my family and friends.

Danielle: Continue learning Spanish – conjugating verbs is next.

Kristina: Progress from child’s pose to a head stand in yoga class.

Jack: Finish writing two books.

Doreen: Sleep more and hope my 5-month old baby agrees.

Kelly: Compete in a duathlon and expand my book selection to include more non-fiction and biographies.

Wish us luck as we pursue our resolutions! And, don’t forget to share yours in the comments section below.

We recently surveyed the team to find out their top five favorite TV shows of all time. As you can tell from the responses, here at Costa DeVault, we appreciate a good laugh. The picks range from favorites like Friends and Seinfeld, to more suspense-filled shows like CSI… with even the occasional soap opera.

Linda: Seinfeld, Battlestar Galactica, The Sopranos, Lost, and Countdown with Keith Olbermann.

Nathan: Seinfeld, Arrested Development, Wonder Years and The Cosby Show (tie), The Dukes of Hazard, and The Office (first 4 seasons).

Deborah: Friends, Sex in the City, The Sopranos, I Love Lucy, and Saturday Night Live.

Kristina: Family Guy, Sex and the City, Seinfeld, Friends, and Lost.

Doreen: Arrested Development, The Cosby Show, The Brady Bunch, Cheers, and The Sopranos.

Simone: Friends, Grey’s Anatomy, CSI, Scrubs, and Law & Order.

Summer: Arrested Development, The Cosby Show, 24, Family Ties, and Sex and the City.

Christian: The Sopranos, Lost, Battlestar Galactica, Family Guy, and Everybody Loves Raymond.

Alexis: The Twilight Zone (black and white), Wonder Years, The Sopranos, South Park, and Arrested Development.

Jenni: Friends, Sex and the City, The Office, Chopped, and CSI.

Ashley: Wheel of Fortune, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Friends, I Love Lucy, and Seinfeld.

When winding down from a busy week, sometimes nothing is better than your favorite movie. We recently surveyed the team to find out their favorite movies. The answers might surprise you – they include every genre from action-packed to musicals.

Some of our favorites:

Linda – As Good As It Gets, Wuthering Heights (the 1939 version), The Godfather, Hoosiers, Braveheart

Nathan – Lost In Translation, Empire of the Sun, Joe vs. the Volcano, Casino, Dazed and Confused

Megan – Inner Space, Lost in Translation, Star Wars (the original), Swingers, French Kiss

Kristina – Wedding Crashers, Interview with the Vampire, Pretty Woman, Back to the Future, Hackers

Stuart – The Departed, Star Wars IV, Good Fellas, Caddyshack, Joe vs. the Volcano

Deborah – Old School, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Under the Tuscan Sun, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Wizard of Oz

Simone – The Notebook, Old School, Office Space, Forrest Gump, The Green Mile

Jeffrey – The Women, The Wedding Date, Father of the Bride I, Father of the Bride II, Sweet Home Alabama

Alexis – Love Actually, Gladiator, Ocean’s 11, Lord of the Rings, Rumble in the Bronx

Michelle – Office Space, The Notebook, Napoleon Dynamite, 10 Things I Hate About You, The Goonies

Summer – Singles, Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead, Pulp Fiction, Dazed and Confused, Grease

Jenni – The Breakfast Club, The Dark Knight, Grease, The Notebook, The Devil Wears Prada

Heather – Sweet Home Alabama, American President, Major League

Christian – Dumb and Dumber, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, Scarface, Murder in the First, Pineapple Express

Whitney – All the President’s Men, Gods and Generals, Say Anything, The Goonies, The Lord of the Rings trilogy

Doreen – Dead Poets Society, Airplane, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Usual Suspects

Brooke – Slumdog Millionaire, The Crow, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Juno, The Devil Wears Prada

Ashley – Wizard of Oz, A League of Their Own, Steel Magnolias, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Chicago

Here at Costa DeVault, we’re big fans of food. Doughnuts in the morning … brainstorming lunches … snacks in the afternoon — you name it, we’ll eat it! We recently surveyed the team to find out their local favorite restaurants. Italian restaurant Enzo’s Restaurant on the Lake, in Lake Mary, was the single most frequently mentioned place. Even more people like sushi, we just can’t agree on which restaurant in town is best: Seito, Naguya or Amura.

Some of our favorites:

• Linda – Enzo’s, Ravenous Pig, Luma, Greek Flame Taverna, PR’s Taco Palace
• Nathan — Enzo’s, Ravenous Pig, Five Guys, P.F. Chang’s, Luma
• Stuart — Enzo’s, Thai Singha, Bubbalou’s, El Coqui, Lee and Rick’s
• Christian – Seito Sushi, Texas de Brazil, High Tide Harry’s, Orlando Ale House, Havana Grill
• Alexis — Jax on 5th, Nagoya Sushi, Colorado’s Prime Steakhouse, Anthony’s Pizza, Mellow Mushroom
• Simone — Enzo’s, Disney’s California Grill, Fleming’s, Ravenous Pig, Del Frisco’s
• Brooke — Le Coq au Vin, Nonna, Ocean Prime, PR’s Taco Palace,Dexter’s
• Kristina — The Vineyard Grill, Greens & Grill, Amura, Gizmo Sushi, Enzo’s
• Summer — Columbia, Amura, Le Cellier Steakhouse, The Loving Hut, High Tide Harry’s
• Kelly — Houston’s, Hue, Ravenous Pig, Ceviche, Mellow Mushroom
• Heather — Seito, Anthony’s Pizza, Bosphorous, PR’s Taco Palace, Pannulo’s

We’re always looking for new places to check out. Tell us your favorites in the comments.

Photo credit: ekiben