Resolution Solution

So it’s ten days into the new year… how are you doing with your resolutions? According to a survey onducted by time management experts FranklinCovey (http://getorganized.franklinplanner.com/go/2012_vs_2002_new_years_resolutions),  a full 35 percent of New Year’s resolutions are broken before the end of January! Are you among those already faltering in your champagne-inspired vows to lose weight, get in shape, find and keep the love of your life, find and get hired in your dream job, stand up to your boss once and for all…?

If so, why and what can you do about it? According to Franklin Covey, having too many other things to do, and not having enough commitment to the resolutions, are the main reasons people fail to keep their resolutions. Makes sense. Loading onto an already burdened to do list is a recipe for failure for sure. And not being committed in the first place? Sounds eerily familiar, as well. We all KNOW we should lose a few pounds, tighten up the budget, shore up self confidence… but do we REALLY want to do what’s required to have that? Sounds like for most of us, the answer is… no.

Here is my suggestion – a lesson learned from years of over-committing to an ever-lengthening list of goals, objectives, strategies and a generally detailed and impossible to reach life map: Make between one and three resolutions for this new year… but only for January. At the end of the month, evaluate how you feel and either renew your commitment for February, or change it to reflect the reality, feasibility or your true goals and desires. A month’s worth of resolutions is enough time for you to know if it’s working for you, if you really want to do it, if the results are worth working toward.

You know what I’m talking about… for one month you can eat oatmeal for breakfast every day. For one month you can save $25 a week by skipping your afternoon latte break. For one month you can switch to decaf! For one month you can work out three times a week. For one month you can study French every Sunday. It’s not that big a deal… a month goes by fast. But it’s long enough to really know if this is the right thing for you. Try it and let me know how it goes! Happy new year.