Turning your resolution into a reality

Last week you created your vision for the new year. You really honed in on what you want and your mindset. But mindset alone is not going to get you to your goal. You need to take action. This week, I will show you how to create small, manageable steps that will get you to your goal. So take out your new year’s resolution summary sheet (you can get it here), and let’s get going.

Make your resolution as specific as possible.

First, we want to ensure our resolution is as specific as possible. For example, say you want to be organized with your time. That is a great goal, but very vague. How will you know that you accomplished this at the end of the year? A more specific way to phrase this would be - I want to create and stick to my schedule Monday through Friday. Notice that you have some action items and when you want to do this. 

How can you make your resolution more specific?

Add in some fun.

I am all about fun.  When I am trying new things if it is not fun I just won’t stick to it. Let’s see how we can make the above goal fun and inspiring. You could rephrase it to say- I want to create and stick to my schedule Monday through Friday so that I can enjoy the evenings and weekends with my family. Or I want to create and stick to my schedule Monday through Friday so I can include unstructured free time for me to relax. I don’t care if I do my project at 8 am or 12 pm, but I know that when I finish it at my scheduled time, I can watch some TV or go for a walk. I also know that when I waste time answering emails or scrolling on social media and don’t get my project done in the allotted time, I won't have time to unwind with something fun for me. See how it is less about creating a strict,  type A schedule and more about making time for what you love?

 How can you make your resolution more fun?

Create action items

Now that you have your specific and fun resolution, what are all the steps that you need to do to achieve this resolution? Take a piece of paper and write them all down. In the above example that might include creating a schedule every day, following the schedule, coordinating with family and work schedule, and getting a planner, or getting a scheduling app.  Write down anything that you can think of.  

Now, pump the brakes!

I know! You are all excited to start with your new plan, but this is exactly where we sabotage ourselves. We try to do all of the things right away. Then we become overwhelmed and give up. Believe me, I want you to do all of the things, but just one step at a time so that this becomes your new routine. You will hear me say this a lot, but we need to show some restraint. Look at all of your tasks and spread them out over the year. Pick one small thing to do this month; next month, layer in another. Maybe next month, you realize what you are doing isn’t working, so you revise it and try again. 

I suggest the first month you pick one small and easy task. It might be, I am going to write down my tasks and the time I will do them on a piece of paper every Monday. Or, I will write down one task and the time I will do it every day. Maybe the following week, you will make it two tasks per day. By making it simple and easy, you set yourself up for success and prove that you are a person who can do this. The point is you pick one small thing that if you start to do it consistently, you will set yourself up on the road to success. 

What is the one small step you are going to do this month?