How to make and keep New Year’s Resolutions
Published on December 24th, 2006
Penisole Generic
Buy Nizoral Online
Nexium Without Prescription
Cymbalta No Prescription
Aricept For Sale
Phentrimine Generic
Buy Avapro Online
Coumadin Without Prescription
Zyban No Prescription
Nizoral For Sale
Does this scenario sound familiar? As the year draws to a close, you look back fondly upon last year’s resolutions. Since you forgot where they are, you decide to make this year’s resolutions instead, and come up with something like this:
Lose weight
Eat healthier
Quit smoking
Go out and make friends
Make a lot of money
Feeling quite satisfied with yourself, you put the list “away”, and make a valiant effort to follow it. Maybe you last a couple of weeks, maybe only a few days. Maybe even less (I believe a record belongs to my friend Anonymous, who broke his resolution to quit smoking exactly 15 minutes after midnight on January 1st.)
If the above doesn’t sound like your New Year’s Resolutions (NYR’s) experience, consider yourself lucky. For most people, it has become a meaningless exercise in futility that even fewer bother with anymore.
How do you change that pattern? How do you incorporate that experience into what it was supposed to be – a rich, rewarding exercise that will help you make your goals clear?
I have stumbled upon a way that will help you do all that and more. Listed below are a few practical pieces of advice that will help you set the right NYR’s and make sure you actually follow them.
Identify the right goals
New Year’s Resolutions are supposed to be goals that you can achieve in one year. So “quit smoking” or “lose 20 lbs” are definitely a good example. However, “become a black belt in karate” is NOT a good NYR if your martial arts training up to this point has been limited to watching “Enter the Dragon” on the couch.
I’m going to become a black belt in Karate
“Become a billionaire” is another example of unrealistic NYR if you’re getting a 40K/year salary with 100 grand in student loans. While those goals are certainly achievable by hard work, it will definitely take more than a year to attain.
Add actions to goals
Without following through, NYR’s are just empty words. You must put in effort to see results. You must come up with a concrete plan of action for every NYR on your list. If you write your NYG as something vague like “lose weight”, you’re not going to be too motivated to follow through. What exactly is it that you’re supposed to do? Sit and wait until the weight is lost? Keep on running a-la Forrest Gump, until the desired weight is reached? And since your sub consciousness hasn’t received a direct order, it’s going to stuff that ‘lose weight’ comment to the back of your brain.
I’ll just keep running until I lose all the weight
Instead, you should ask yourself questions leading to a clear, concrete goal. For example: how much weight do I want to lose total? How much weight can I realistically lose in a year? How will I go about achieving weight loss – gym, jogging in the morning, etc..?
Separate your NYR list from your ToDo list. If your New Year’s Resolution to lose weight includes an action to “buy gym membership”, take it off your NYR list and put it on your ToDo list – and then, of course, execute it. In the end, your resolution might look something like this:
“Lose 20 lbs by the end of the year. I will achieve it by jogging every morning and going to the gym (the one next to my house) 3 times a week – Monday, Wednesday, and Friday after work.”
Remind yourself regularly of your resolutions
New Year’s day is going to come and go, and so will your mood and determination that you had while creating your NYR’s. How do you stay on track? How do you keep your NYR’s fresh in your head, and follow them all year?
First, you have to put the list you just wrote someplace you can easily find it. File it under “New Year’s Resolutions, 2009”, put it in your wallet, or anywhere else that you like, but make sure that if you get the urge to see it in June, you can easily find it.
Next, you have to make sure your resolution stays visible. This is probably the most important advice you can ever read about NYR’s. Create a note that will always get in the way when you’re most likely to need it. Be creative. If your goal is to eat healthier, stick a note on your fridge. This way, you’ll be reminded every time you’re about to get some food.
If one of your NYR’s is to stop procrastinating so much by reducing the mindless surfing of the net, make your homepage a reminder. You can use this page or use Google Customized home page.
By keeping up with the NYR, you will eventually form a habit. There will be a point where it will become uncomfortable to automatically head to a time-wasting website. You can be sure that once New Year’s Day rolls again, you’ll be able to look at the old year’s resolutions with a sense of accomplishment. Making (and keeping) your NYR’s will once again serve its original purpose – helping you get where you want to be in life faster.
And hopefully, you will be happier because of that. Happy Holidays!
P.S.: This article wouldn’t be truly complete without me posting my New Year’s Resolutions. I can’t post all of them for privacy reasons, but I can post some, with the explanations on how I’m planning to remind myself:
- Prepare everything for the wedding. [I have quite a few items on my ToDo list for this one]
- Write regularly. Establish a readership base for my blog.[Weekly reminders in my calendar to write another article and quite a few ToDo items]
- Stop wasting time: stop watching TV, playing fantasy sports, mindlessly surfing. [actions: disconnect cable TV, don’t sign up for any more fantasy sports leagues, set my homepage to ‘stop procrastinating’ reminder]
- Get in shape by the end of the year. My perfect weight is 175 lbs. Aim to reach my goal by continuing going to the gym every weekday. [I have another article on how to make yourself go to the gym on the regular basis]
December 31st, 2006 at 12:04 pm
How to keep your New Year’s resolutions…
Blogger Alexander Kharlamov has some good advice for New Year’s resolvers who want to stay resolute beyond January 1st. For example, break down your resolutions into small actions: Separate your NYR list from your ToDo list. If your New Year’s……
December 31st, 2006 at 1:24 pm
Might I also suggest joesgoals.com?
I’ve found it works great, also 43things is probably best for blogging about your goals.
December 31st, 2006 at 1:45 pm
Great article!
It’s also good to let your friends know your resolutions to help you stay on task. If they see you heading toward the desert bar or reaching for that cigarette, they can remind you of your goals.
I am a ToDo list junkie and I just found from lifehacker.com a great site called tadalist.com. It lets you create ToDo lists online that you can access anywhere. It is so helpful. The first list I created was my resolutions for 2007.
December 31st, 2006 at 5:14 pm
I enjoyed your comments about New Years Resolutions. I believe that the challenge for most is that they only make resolutions once a year. I liked your thoughts about taking action. It’s the cornerstone to making any resolutions a reality. All the best, Casey Combden
December 31st, 2006 at 10:07 pm
I thought this was a great article! I often jump the ship after a week or two of resolutions but I think the to-do list aspect of it will help me keep on track this year.
January 1st, 2007 at 3:47 am
[...] Alex has a post on How to make and keep New Year’s Resolutions. I have learnt a few tips to keep up my resolutions. [...]
January 1st, 2007 at 6:18 am
[...] Come ad ogni inizio anno eccoci ricchi di risoluzioni e nuovi proponimenti per i prossimi 365 giorni: il blog Documenting Success di Alexander Kharlamov ci fornisce alcuni suggerimenti per mantenere questi impegni un po’ più a lungo che le usuali due settimane. [...]
January 1st, 2007 at 6:20 am
Great Article, Man.
Simply Superb!
I am gonna be getting reminded of your blog whenever I get reminded of my NYR!!!
January 1st, 2007 at 2:54 pm
[...] Off the back of this entry (How to make and keep New Years Resolutions) - i plan to consider it. Posted in General | [...]
January 1st, 2007 at 11:06 pm
[...] How to make and keep your New Year’s resolutions December 31st, 2006 by Lifehacker Blogger Alexander Kharlamov has some good advice for New Year’s resolvers who want to stay resolute beyond January 1st. For example, break down your resolutions into small actions: Separate your NYR list from your ToDo list. If your New Year’s Resolution to lose weight includes an action to “buy gym membership”, take it off your NYR list and put it on your ToDo list - and then, of course, execute it. Much like the way GTD distinguishes between projects and next actions, goals can be achieved on any day of the year by just writing them up and breaking them down. Have a safe and happy New Year! See you on January 2nd. — Gina Trapani How to make and keep New Year’s Resolutions [Documenting Success] [...]
January 2nd, 2007 at 4:45 am
[...] Having said that - I’ll be setting myself some resolutions this year. None of which will necessarily “start” today - think of it more as a high-level to-do list for the year. This is inspired by Alexander Kharlamov’s post on the same subject (linked from LifeHacker). [...]
January 2nd, 2007 at 5:29 am
[...] I’ve made a set of resolutions (I’m going to find somewhere memorable to put them) — alongside achievable daily goals for each one as suggested by Alexander’s blog, via Lifehacker. [...]
January 2nd, 2007 at 10:43 am
Keep the posts coming, Alexander!
January 2nd, 2007 at 2:08 pm
Happy New Year!…
Well, it’s a new year. yay. I’m not one for resolutions, but i do plan to improve several things in my…
January 2nd, 2007 at 2:54 pm
I enjoyed reading your post.
I felt as if it was fully related to me !!
Great writing.
January 2nd, 2007 at 3:27 pm
thanks for the informative article.. i just stumbled by this site coming from LifeHacker and I found it very interesting. I’ll keep checking you out. Here’s one more reader to feed up your “more reader base” plan
January 3rd, 2007 at 2:01 am
[...] Alexander Kharlamov presents How to make and keep New Year’s Resolutions posted at Documenting Success, saying, “I believe a record belongs to my friend Anonymous, who broke his resolution to quit smoking exactly 15 minutes after midnight on January 1st” [...]
January 3rd, 2007 at 5:52 am
[...] help me too. I guess I will have to check back next year to see how I did. Happy New Year’s! Digg itShareThis [...]
January 4th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
[...] How do you actually keep your New Year’s Resolutions? Well, Alexander Kharlamov has a couple of good ideas: How to make and keep New Year’s Resolutions. A short summary of the main points: Identify the right goals, Add actions to goals, and Remind yourself regularly of your resolutions. Adding actions and reminding yourself of your goals, is what I found most important: Breaking your resolutions into smaller To-do lists. In this way your goals should be easier to overcome. [...]
January 4th, 2007 at 9:54 pm
Hi Alex,
Nice Article, I saw you post it on the Steve Pavlina Forum. I want to check out the rest of your site after I’m done with my move this weekend.
If you have a moment check out my new personal development site at http://alexshalman.com
January 5th, 2007 at 9:22 am
[...] Veja o artigo inteiro, em inglês, no link abaixo. How to make and keep New Year’s Resolutions [Documenting Success] [...]
January 8th, 2007 at 10:04 pm
[...] Documenting Success - How to make and keep New Year’s Resolutions Does this scenario sound familiar? As the year draws to a close, you look back fondly upon last year’s resolutions. (tags: lifehacks howto GTD productivity goals psychology lifehack toread) [...]
February 8th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
It’s good that you are taking the initiative to change your life for the better, but why tie it to New Years? If the goals are laudable isn’t it better to plan for them at any time?
Maybe I’m just to much of a cynic. Seeing people do the same NYR’s every year, it just comes across so much like Mental Spam you’re trying to sell to yourself.
February 22nd, 2007 at 10:11 pm
Thanks for your comment Dave. It’s definitely better to set goals for yourself and take initiative all the time, not just on New Year’s.
Making New Years Resolutions is (in my opinion) for those of us that are not perfect in our strength and determination. The fact that it’s a cultural time that you’re SUPPOSED to set goals and try to improve your life provides additional support.
April 25th, 2007 at 9:54 pm
Thank You
May 28th, 2007 at 5:40 pm
I believe this one applies “Unless each man prodiuses more than he receives, increases his output, there will be less for him than all the others”, doesn’t it?
December 27th, 2007 at 6:30 pm
Also great ideas here: http://www.howtodothings.com/holidays/how-to-keep-your-new-years-resolutions