(CNN) -- As millions of Americans think about how they can do better in 2014 through their New Year resolutions, President Obama might want to make a few of his own. Although it is true that the president has faced a horrendous political environment -- filled with tea party Republicans intent on obstructing every proposal and media that are often too willing to report dubious facts -- Obama has not made his situation much easier for himself. In a number of areas, he might think about strategies that can improve his political standing and put him in a better position for the political fights over immigration, the budget, climate change and foreign policy that loom ahead.
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Julian Zelizer: President Obama should adopt resolutions for 2014
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He says the White House should work more closely in coordination with Hill Democrats
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Obama should focus on setting agenda, details of policy and quality of staff work, he says
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Zelizer: Obama should aim to recapture enthusiasm he stirred in grass roots
Americans
With the 2014 midterms as a focal point, the President should get back to communicating with grass-roots @placeholder and shaping the agenda of his final years in office based on some of the issues they feel have been sidetracked in the past few years.
Republicans
Throughout the battles over the budget, the president turned from one crisis to the next without stopping and really putting forth a clear vision and set of priorities in response to the austerity zeal of the @placeholder.