What would an organization blog be without a year-end post on New Year’s Resolutions?
Most people make some sort of resolution to kick off the new year, and the vast majority give up on or even forget them my mid-February. Do you even remember what you resolved to do in 2011? Did you get it done?
You can make 2012 different by employing a few basic resolution strategies:
1) Make a plan. If you want to achieve something, you have to come up with a way to do it. Losing weight is a common resolution, and a noble one. But how will you do it? “Eat better” is not a good plan. There’s not enough detail; there are no real rules. Will you join Weight Watchers? Count Calories? Limit Carbs? Maybe you want to save up a month of expenses in an emergency fund. Put a dollar figure on that, and divide by 12 to see how much you need to save each month. Can you do that on your current income, or do you need to consider additional employment?
2) Have a goal. A lot of people resolve to do something “better” or “more,” but there’s no way for them to really measure if they’re accomplishing anything. Resolving to work out more? How much more – give it a number – twice a week, three times a week – and a duration – half an hour, one hour, whatever. Take that goal and back into a plan – joining a gym, taking a fitness class, finding a partner to run with. I’ve also seen a few people resolve to make better use of their time, and this is harder than one would think. Consider why you think you are currently using your time poorly, and what good time management looks like to you. Are you looking for more free time, more family time, a better ability to hit deadlines at work? How, specifically, are you going to do that?
3) Go public. Get support. It doesn’t have to be someone who has the same resolution as you, but find a friend, partner, coworker, even one of your kids, to be your cheerleader. Share your successes with them and give them permission to call you out on your stumbles. There’s no reason to go it alone. That only makes it harder on you, not to mention easier to throw in the towel.
Also, a couple points about resolutions that seem kind of obvious, but are still worth mentioning:
1) You don’t have to give up if you mess up. You have a whole year in front of you. If you fall off the wagon, dust yourself of and get back on. It’s not a big deal. Similarly, if you realize your resolution is not making your life better – you had the best of intentions in starting that website, but now blogging is something you dread and you’re just not that into it – then stop.
2) You don’t have to start on January 1. Maybe it’s just not a good day for you. The morning you wake up hung over on your buddy’s couch is not the best day to start your new exercise program. The afternoon you spend at a family holiday dinner is not the best day to start your new diet. Go ahead, wait for the second, or even the third. You’re going to learn to cook and classes don’t start until Spring Semester? That’s OK, it still counts.
3) Resolutions are not just for the new year. If you find something you are interested in, if your doctor tells you there is something you need to do, if there is something going wrong with your relationships, don’t wait until next January to put a plan in place. Make a resolution because it’s the beginning of the month, or the beginning of the week. Make a resolution because you woke up some random morning and realized you needed to make a change. You don’t have to wait until it’s “in season.”
Kind of piggy-backing on that, you can check out my new facebook page, 12 months 12 challenges. The idea is that everyone picks a goal, challenge, resolution, etc. on a monthly basis and then tries to do it every day for 30 days. It could be something as simple as eating breakfast in the morning, taking time out for a daily prayer or meditation, or putting all of the dishes in the dishwasher before bed. My January resolution involves twitter. Anyway, I think it’s a neat idea and if you’re so inclined, I’d love to see you join up at www.facebook.com/12challenges.
Here’s to a fantastic, healthy, exciting, and amazing 2012!
To add to your not having to start on January 1st and resolutions not just for the new year points, birthdays are a great time for resolutions. It takes a lot of the new year pressure off, while keeping the same renewal spirit. And bonus: unless your hovering around 21, you’re also probably not drunkenly deciding your resolution while vomiting onto a friend.