Set goals instead of resolutions

Set goals instead of resolutions

Do you remember your first New Year’s resolution?

I won’t eat chocolate for a year. I will lose 100 lbs this year (with no effort, of course). I will exercise every day. I’ll  never lose my temper. I’ll be perfect in all my attempts. I’ll be a millionaire by 25. 30. 50. Never.

Less than 10% of people keep resolutions, much less. Sunday, January 17th, will be Ditch New Years Resolutions day.

What gives? Why do we stay stuck on ideas that don’t bring about concrete change?

I stopped making them years ago when I realized I would cheat my way out of them.
Feeling like such a loser at keeping promises to myself.

Can you relate? Here is the thing, I wasn’t a loser and neither were you.

Goals without  action steps lead nowhere

We were setting ourselves up by choosing pie-in-the-sky goals.

Or great goals without any action steps to achieve them.

Or not allowing for unforeseen changes in the year that didn’t build in flexibility.

Resolutions will never come to pass without creating a plan to get from A to B.

They are defined as the act of resolving or determining upon an action, course of action, method, procedure, etc.

Planners Can Help Us Achieve Goals

Lisa Jacobs gives a brilliant perspective in her book Your Best Year. “If you wanted to travel from Pittsburgh to New York, you can’t sit down on a park bench in Pittsburgh and wonder why you’re not getting to New York…. few people actively take action towards their goals. Most people are sitting on a park bench in Pittsburgh complaining about how their dreams aren’t showing up for them. Can New York show up in Pittsburgh? No!”

Have you noticed the frenzy around the resurgence of paper planners? Huge amounts of people are returning to an updated, yet old school, idea. Writing down our goals, and thereby increasing our chance of accomplishing them.

Today’s planner world is exploding with fresh ideas and encouragement at an incredible pace. It clicked for me; this was my missing piece.

A word of freedom here: this is not for everyone

Don’t feel like you need to jump on the bandwagon, or pressured to create art pieces like those in your limited time. Creative types might enjoy adding miniature masterpieces to complement their week’s plans.

They are awesome!

BUT, if that isn’t your thing? Take the parts that are, and feel complete freedom to ditch the rest. The planners are the tool, use them in ways that work for YOU. (BTW, if you are someone who would not define yourself as creative, please read this).

I can’t stress this enough- it is so easy to get caught up in what others are doing, that your inner critic will try to raise its voice. Don’t spend what you can’t afford on the cute stuff, use what you have, and only do what you enjoy.

There is no comparison here.

 5 productive things to do instead of resolutions:

1. Spending quiet time determining what I want to accomplish this year. Then, further digging into until there are clear and defined goals
2. Dreaming bigger than ever before. It was a shock to realize that my dreams have been too small, sort of like I’ve been putting God in a box, based on my own uncertainties. Not this year, the dreams are colossal
3. Using a planner for EACH of those goals, individually. This looks excessive (my family told me, haha) but it is what feels right for how “I” think. The separation is necessary for my distractable mind. For you? One planner might be just right! Do what helps YOU move forward
4. Plan time to plan. No more flying by the seat of my pants, a common method for creatives. Sometimes that’ll still happen because we are human and life comes up, but overall? The planners provide a mental net to fall into. A place that gets us back on track. Making time to plan is essential for knowing where we want to go
5. Extending myself incredible grace when the train derails. I’ll remember these are all TOOLS not taskmasters. Besides, Proverbs 16:9 reminds us, “We can make our plans,
       but the Lord determines our steps.”

It was refreshing to read this in Real Simple magazine today, “Every January magazines come out with covers that say things like “New Year, New You!” Here at RS, we’d like to say, “New Year, Still You!” You see, we don’t want to change you. We just want to help you understand your needs and own the whole package-strengths and weaknesses alike.”

I loved that. Let’s embrace all of who we are, and if goal planning is one of our weaker areas? It can be addressed and overcome.

This year is the perfect time to think about life with a clearer perspective

It doesn’t matter what day you come into this, but don’t push it off until the proverbial next week. It rarely comes.

This year NOT making resolutions is the way to bring about change. We can resolve to do something with the greatest sincerity, but without a plan, it has an excellent change of falling into the ditch of good intentions.

That is what we are about here, this journey together in pursuing an imperfectly beautiful life. I am glad you are here! We are going to share a powerful year, with intention and challenge and we’ll do it one post at a time.

Resources for productivity:

• Chronic Resilience: 10 Sanity-Saving Strategies 
• Writing with Chronic Illness: Improve Outlook and Productivity
• The Productivity Project: Accomplishing More by Managing Your Time, Attention, and Energy
• Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones 
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