By Donald E. Wetmore
Time Management
Don Wetmore
At the beginning of each year so many of us commit to changes and worthy goals to be accomplished in the next twelve months, only to be disappointed come next December when we discover we are no closer to achieving those resolutions than we were on Jan. 1. The noble resolutions we made early on became unstuck.
Here are some useful suggestions to increase the probability that your New Year’s resolutions will stick this year.
Quantify it. Sometimes we are just too vague about what we want. A resolution such as, “I want to lose weight this year” will probably fail. It is too vague. How much weight? Be specific. What would your ideal weight be, less what you weigh now, is what you are going after. It is not enough to resolve that, “I want enough money in the bank this year.” Quantify. What specific amount would give you comfort?
Set a deadline. Resolutions that are to be achieved “as soon as possible” wind up in the heap of “the someday I’ll pile.” Deadlines are commitments. Without a deadline as a self-imposed pressure point, getting started is easily postponed. Deadlines put us on the line and define when failure occurs. Deadlines also help us to break the resolution down into little bite-sized pieces. For example, if your goal is to lose 25 pounds by June 30, that translates into approximately four pounds per month, one pound per week, or a daily reduction of caloric intake (or an increase in daily caloric burn) of 500 calories per day. That’s manageable. Twenty-five pounds seems like a leap across the Grand Canyon. Until we quantify our goal, set a deadline, then break it down to its daily requirements, the resolution will forever seem unattainable.
Change one or two things at a time. We generally do not like change in the first place. We tend to seek the familiar and avoid the unknown. The more change you put yourself through, the higher the probability your effort will collapse. Focus on one or two of the more important resolutions you plan to accomplish this year. When you achieve one or the other, start with the next one. Don’t overwhelm yourself with too much change all at once.
Be realistic. There’s just something about the start of a new year that gets us all wound up for changes in our lives – sometimes extraordinary and unrealistic changes. We become much like the child in the candy store whose eyes are bigger than his stomach. Be realistic. You can only accomplish a certain amount within a certain period. Don’t saddle yourself with unrealistic resolutions that will only spell failure.
Celebrate your successes. Be glad that you are making resolutions for the new year. Be pleased with your plans. Take joy in accomplishing your first day on this path. Be proud of every step you take. Every step brings you closer to your goal. Enjoy the journey to a better you.
Don Wetmore is a certified business coach and the author of “The Productivity Handbook” and “Organizing Your Life.” Contact him at 203-394-8216 or ctsem@msn.com.