Recounting Your New Year Resolutions

Can you believe we’re in the middle of March already? It seems the older I get, the faster time tries to slip away from me. How are you doing on your New Year’s resolutions?

Since we’ve hit the quarter mark of this glorious New Year, I felt it only appropriate to take inventory of my resolutions. And guess what I’ve found? For the first time in years, I am finally right on track!

Don’t let procrastination, lack of organization, the busyness of life, or too many obligations rob you of meeting your goals this year. Break them down into bite size pieces and work on them every week.

Here’s what I’ve been doing. I have three files on my computer, one titled “task list,” one titled “goals of week master,” and one titled “goals of week.” And here is how I have them broken up:

•Task List: I have my long-term goals broken into categories and every time a new idea pops in my head, I place it in the appropriate spot on my long-term goals list. That way, I never feel pressured to get those new ideas done today for fear of forgetting about them, and I won’t lose them on a slip of paper that I accidentally throw away.
•Goals of Week Master List: My main business duties, the ones that are repetitious and have to be done every week, are broken down into digestible chunks and saved in this file. This is the file I use to begin tailoring my goals of the week.
•Goals of Week List: This is the sheet I work from every week. Every Sunday evening, I sit down and plan my week. I break it down into digestible projects and write a single line sentence for each project; not too detailed, just enough that it reminds me of the task at hand. I try to list my projects according the time each project needs to be completed during the week, and then break it down a step further by listing the short projects first and finally, I print my goals list out. If something new comes up that has to take priority, I simply write that project in the left hand column. Every time I achieve my goal of completing a project, I cross it off my list. This visual is very important in keeping me on task. Then every Friday, I transfer over the things I didn’t complete to next week’s goals list.

If you haven’t been able to stay on task find someone to help keep you accountable. It could be a friend, a paid coach, a mentor, a business or writing buddy, a business partner, an old teacher, a relative, or even your children.

When I wanted to lose ten pounds, I knew I wouldn’t be able to achieve that goal on my own. I explained why I needed to lose the weight and what I needed to do to succeed. Then I asked my children to keep me accountable. My 9-year-old daughter now reads labels before we buy snacks, my son will question what I eat when we go out, and my husband cooks healthier meals.

When I wanted to take my writing career to the next level, I found a writer’s group that shared their weekly goals and end-of-week praises. Telling a group of friends and strangers my intentions for the week helps me focus more during the week. After all, I don’t want to meet with them on Friday only to make excuse after excuse as to why I didn’t reach my goals.

And let’s face it, most of the time we don’t reach our goals because we find one excuse after another to keep us from taking the first step. And if by some miracle we make it past the first step, we find a “reason” why we can’t take the next step.

So what are you waiting for? If you’ve found yourself not staying on task, it’s never too late to start. Don’t wait until December 31 to start your New Year’s resolutions, start them today!