Well, the day is fast approaching. The day where we make some decisions about what goals we are going to accomplish in 2006. Notice I said “accomplish?” The reason I didn’t say set is in 2006 we are going to get a lot done don’t you think?
Here are 5 tips you can use to set better New Years resolutions:
1. Plan out at least a few hours on Dec. 31 or Jan 1 where you can sit with a pad of paper and make a long list of your resolution ideas. List more than your “I should” resolutions (“I should lose weight” “I should quit smoking”). Be sure to include the “I’d like to” items too. “I’d like to start my own business,” “I’d like to run in the NY marathon”.
List out as many ideas as you can. The sky is the limit.
Once you have your list, look for opportunities to combine them. Sometimes you can combine one “should” resolution and one “fun” resolution into one like “I’d like to lose 25lbs so I can run in the NY marathon.” A resolution with a payoff is always better than a negative resolution such as “I should lose weight because I’m too fat”.
2. Choose the top 1-3 of the resolutions you find both exciting & achievable in a 12 month period. Having one successful resolution is better than having 20 unsuccessful resolutions.
3. Write a rough plan of how you are going to complete each goal. Be sure to inlcude details of how you will deal with setbacks and reward yourself along the way.
4. Break down the plan into small and manageable chuncks. You have a full 12 months to get it done, what small things in January do you have to do to stay on track to make it to February and then to March and so on?
5. Network with a “resolution partner.” This is someone you both trust and who wants to set resolutions too. Get and give feedback on both sets of goals. Determine a plan of how you will encourage and motivate each other – phone calls? Instant messages? Emails?
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