Just say “No” to New Year’s resolutions

January 3, 2012

I’m sure it’s no surprise that the vast majority of New Year’s resolutions are tossed aside long before the end of January. That alone should be a good enough reason to avoid making a promise you know you won’t keep.

Most resolutions are of the ‘lose weight’ variety; we hope they will make us a better person and usually not something that we can do easily. After all, if it was easy we would have been doing it all along rather than waiting for December 31^st to declare our intentions. It’s the lack of grounding in the day-to-day reality that predisposes resolutions to the trash heap once we get back to work the first week of January.

Because they are doomed to failure, rather than make resolutions set goals that are broken into digestible chunks. Nothing breeds success like success. For instance, an important value for me is learning so I always have goals that support learning. Some have been big goals like completing a graduate degree, but for the most part they are habits that keep me on the learning track. Each month I choose a book I want to read and I decide how many magazine articles I will read. I always make sure it’s a manageable target I can easily achieve. Occasionally it’s only been a single article simply because I knew any more was too much of a stretch and I’d likely fail.

I’m also a fan of setting daily goals that tie to strategic outcomes. Every morning I spend 5 to 10 minutes thinking about what I can do today that will move me forward on a strategic outcome. Inherent in this approach is knowing where I want to get to in the first place. I have goals for each of my work-related roles and for the different areas of my personal life such as health, family and friends. Some of the goals are modest – like the ones that relate to learning and others have been more challenging. The key point is that I have a direction I’m heading in each area of my life. Knowing where I want to go helps me use my time effectively on a daily basis.

My best advice? Just say no to resolutions. Instead:

• Spend time in reflection. What could you do that will make the days and weeks fly by? What is fulfilling and worth doing this year in each of the dimensions of your life?
• Create small goals and get started. Once you know where you are headed, create goals you know you can easily achieve – but not too many. Find ways to move forward on at least one of your goals every day. When you break it down into small bites, the doing is easy.
• Celebrate your progress. Keep track of your progress and acknowledge your wins along the way. Don’t wait until you’ve summited Everest to celebrate.

When I look back on 2011 I’ve achieved some big goals that have been years in the making. I’ve also accomplished many small things that have made me very happy. Most of these weren’t on a list but because I knew what was important to me, I was able to see the opportunity when it presented and make it happen. It’s been a great year and I am looking to 2012 to be just as wonderful.