I’ve made New Year Resolutions in the past and I think the longest many of them ever lasted was 3 weeks?!!
I think the biggest problem is that I’ve often tended to focus on the negative. Stop this, don’t eat that. Alternatively I’ve tried to achieve the impossible! I am no runner and to try the Couch to 5K was NEVER going to work - 2 weeks in and I gave up!
For many of us January the first is a new beginning. We can look forward and imagine a new start, goals to be reached and all without any baggage from the previous 12 months.
It is as if last year's blackboard - filled with all our hopes, dreams, problems, successes, failures, sadness and joy, opportunities - taken and missed - has been completely wiped clean. Like the start of a new school year we can have a brand new page and fill it in exactly how we want.
So are resolutions EVER a good idea?
Yes! But they need to be Specific, Achievable and Desirable.
If you have read any of my previous DOCC Blogs about building routines and habits, you will know that I recommend beginning with your GOAL in mind and working backwards until you have achievable steps towards your end point.
In order to do this you must be really Specific about your end GOAL. The WHAT of your resolution.
WRONG - I want to lose weight
RIGHT - I want to lose 3 stone by June 1st to join Ann on her hiking holiday.
In the second example the GOAL can be broken down into specific chunks.
June 1st is 21 weeks away, Ann is someone I love spending time with and hiking is something I always enjoy with friends, 3 stone is equal to 42 pounds.
My GOAL and therefore my resolution is to lose 2 pounds a week.
As well as being specific, your GOAL needs to be Achievable. If losing 2 pounds a week feels too much then change your GOAL slightly, if you have any doubts about achieving your GOAL you will probably give up.
You can even break this down further with adding your HOW.
In order to lose 2 pounds a week I will make sure I walk whenever I can and not eat between meals, I will keep Ann updated on my progress, giving me accountability.
However you decide to reach your GOAL again, it needs to be specific - when will you walk? How far?, achievable, do you have the opportunity to walk? And Desirable, is the end GOAL appealing enough to you to make regular changes to your lifestyle?
Using a goal and habit tracker will also help you by giving you a visual representation of how you are doing, it can encourage consistency and be a motivator too. It is also a form of accountability. Accountability in itself can be motivating when you have a goal to reach or a resolution to keep. By letting someone you hold dear know what you are going to be working towards you are giving yourself the responsibility of knowing that there is somebody else invested in your resolutions and goals, too. If you don't want to 'go public' about your resolution then having a tracker of some sort can perform the role of accountability for you.
[SPOILER ALERT!! Next weeks blog will cover being accountable for yourself]
There is a link to my ‘creating habits - reaching goals’ habit tracker here.
Do you have a resolution or goal for 2022? Let me know!!
You can comment below ↓↓ or look at the end of the blog for all the ways you can contact me privately. I love hearing from you with all your ideas and photos of the areas you are working on!!
If you want to delve deeper into finding a ‘system’ which will work for you, you can contact me via my email lindajharper@yahoo.com or using the chat bubble on my website, I would love to help you!
You can message me on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Linda-J-Harper-Professional-Declutterer-and-Organiser-107805011001601.
I am also on Pinterest and Instagram if you need some inspiration! https://www.pinterest.co.uk/adnilenaj1314/boards/
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