Monday, December 30, 2013

"My New Year's Resolution Is…"


If you get right down to it, the cynical truth is that there's nothing special about New Year's. We all collectively agree to take a look back at the past and get excited about writing the wrong year on all of our paperwork for the next month. While this is a great excuse to self-assess, the truth is that changing your ways is a year-long process and if you fail your resolution by February, you can try again in March. If you're going to set some resolutions, come prepared to track your progress. "I'll create new resolutions all year long." Instead of planning to lose 50 pounds in a year, aim to establish new eating habits by February, a new workout routine by April, drop your first 10 pounds by June, etc. In practice, you may end up doing the same thing, but by breaking it down, you make it less overwhelming and you can adapt your goals. "I'm going to sign up for a goal tracker." While setting a dozen goals for the new year might get overwhelming, a tracker can help make sure you keep up throughout the year. Accompl.sh specializes in year-long goals by locking them in for 365 days, but if you want a bit more flexibility, you have plenty of options. "I'm going to share my goals publicly." Even if you don't have someone on your case about it 24/7, putting your resolutions on a public medium can increase pressure on yourself to make sure you get it done. Not only can this help you avoid vague resolutions (it's difficult to log or quantify "be happier"), but you can use social media or public trackers to look back at your progress throughout the year.

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