New Year Resolutions Are Obsolete. Do This Instead.

On or before January 1st of every year, many people declare their new year resolutions to their family members, spouses or friends.  I have had the opportunity to interview some of my friends and acquaintances about how they achieve their new year resolutions, just a handful of them agreed that they have been able to keep up to the resolutions they made on the first of the year. 

The resolutions usually go in this manner:

• I will stop smoking this year
• I will take my studies seriously
• I have decided to be a better person
• I am going to getting into shape (what shape? Fatter or fitter?)
• This year, I will take my business to the next level
• I am going to start a business 
• I will get additional education
• I will learn how to code this year
  These are just vain and empty. No time or specifics attached to them.

Many gym owners have reported that the busiest months in their gyms are between January to March. They record their highest new registrations and renewals during these months. Towards the end of March, attendance starts dropping significantly but the gym membership is continually being paid. I assume the users that continue paying for the membership still have the plan to use the gym in future but the zeal has waned off. This is an example of how those new year resolutions declarations are usually abandoned after the first 3 months of the year.

In this article, you will learn different ways you can achieve your other than the usually hyped new year resolutions which I find ‘obsolete’. Here are some of the steps I and you should be taking this year:

Audit Your Previous Year’s Activities and Performance

An audit according to the English dictionary is “an official inspection of an individual’s or organization’s accounts, typically by an independent body”. Today, we are not talking about the inspection of your finances but the inspection will be conducted on your personal life activities, not by anyone else rather by yourself.

• What did I plan to achieve in 2018?
• How many of them did I achieve?
• How many of these plans are still in progress and at what percentage completion?
• What were the strategies I used to achieve a 100% completion of some of my plans in the previous year? 
• What major activity did I spend most of my time apart from my job or business?
• If my job or business took most of my time, did it fulfill my financial needs?
• What stopped me from reaching your goal.
• How can I help myself to do better?

After the sincere analysis, I will move to the next step having armed myself with the right information on what has been stopping me to achieve my goals and the also take note of the right strategies I used to reach my goals.

Make A Fresh Note Of Your New Year Plan

The most common excuse I used for not following through with my plans was “life just happens”. Yes, unexpected circumstances happen in our lives which can draw us back from our good intentions. That shouldn’t stop us from planning anyway. Don’t make a mental note of your new plans. Get a diary or a book to write down your two or three plans.

I don’t know what your plans may be but be sure to write the goal, the time you expect it to take and the expected result. You should also factor in emergencies into your plan. It could be financial, health or family emergencies. 

Commit To “Nth” Days of  Doing “Something”

Almost everyone has a plan to change or improve a certain part of their life. If you plan without adding a specific timeline to your goal, you wouldn’t have the drive to get the end. You might just shoot and think you’ve hit your target every time you shoot because you haven’t set time boundaries.

Do you plan to lose weight or get “The Rock’s” kind of six packs in the new year?
Do you want to start a new business?
Do you want to learn a new skill or get an extra source of income?
Here are some ideas you can commit to:

• Reading 12 books in 12 months
• 100 days of code 
• 100 days of gratitude
• 52 weeks of working on your side hustle
• 365 Days of Kindness
• Make or save $12000 in 12 months or Save #60000 in 6 months.

This method has helped me tremendously. I tried the “100 days of code” last year when I was learning to code. This changed the way I learned. Was it difficult to get to the end? Yes and No. It was certainly difficult during the first two weeks, then I became a big part of me. 
You can just commit only one hour a day to whatever you want to do. After doing this for a few days, trust me it will get easier. You will ease into it gracefully. 

If your plan is to make more or save more money, how are you going to achieve that with your current source of income? You can read my related article on how to increase your income by using the power of the internet.

Related: 

• How To Start A WordPress Blog | Benefits Of Blogging
• You Are Fired Today! What’s Your Next Step? – Do This If You Lose Your Job
• 7 High Paying Jobs You Can Do From Anywhere

Document Your Progress

1. Use An App or Go The Traditional Way

With the help of useful apps and productivity tools on our phones, documenting your progress will be a lot easier. You can also use the internet to your advantage. When I committed to 100 days of code, I signed up for the challenge on twitter, #100daysofcode.

There are thousands of people who are also taking this challenge. I documented my progress on my GitHub account. The challenge required anyone signed up to post what they did for the day on Twitter. I actually didn’t post my progress every day on twitter because at some point during that challenge, I had to take a break from social media to be able to concentrate on my learning and other important activities. This will help you get a community to support you in the journey. 

You can still use the traditional method of writing down your progress in a diary. It could be a food diary. A fitness app like 30 Days workout challenge has a progress bar and calendar built into it. Easy Peezee.

2. Sample Documentary To Inspire You

This would interest you.  It is a documentary about a former international model who is also a personal trainer – Paul PJ James. He embarked on a journey to understand how his overweight clients struggled every day by making a life-changing decision. He decided to gain 40kg or 90 lbs and lose the gained weight all in one year. He committed to doing this at the beginning of 2009 and achieved his goal. However, it was a great struggle for him. He named his journey: FIT TO FAT AND BACK. Watch the video at the end of this article.

So, commit to one or two goals to achieve in the new year. Too many goals will erode your energy. Add a specific time to what you want to achieve. You will stand at a better chance to complete them.

Get People To Hold You Accountable

As I mentioned in the last paragraph, joining a community or group of people with similar goals will help keep you on track. They will also encourage you when you run out of steam. Humans are herd animals. We tend to follow through if we notice that what we are doing is trendy or has lots of people interested in it.

You can get your friends or family members to prompt or remind you when they find you slacking in what you have committed to do. Your commitment may create a chain effect. Your closest allies may join you once they notice you are into a worthy challenge. This will also increase your chances of succeeding.

Block Your Time | Calendar 

Whether you are saving for a major purchase, studying for a particular skill, or trying to make a major change in your life, how you use or don’t use your time is the single most important factor that will determine your success. According to Mark Cuban, time is the most valuable asset you don’t own.

Time block means focusing on finishing the activities on your schedule one at a time. Not the usual do the big ones first rather face one activity and get it out of the way within an allotted time no matter how big or small. To do this effectively, you should know your typical daily, weekly and monthly activities. Plan ahead and fit them into your calendar. No more going to meetings and closing as the spirit leads. If you have allocated 2 hours to your meeting or for shopping, work towards completing your shopping or meeting within that time since you know that your sleep time or rest time is the next on your calendar.

To make this work for you, you have to make a list of your daily activities which include work, personal, family and social activities. Don’t forget your rest time and the time you spend on social media. You can add your social networking time to your calendar because this will reduce the time you mindlessly stay on the internet reading people’s timeline and news feed which may not add any value to you.

Celebrate Your Progress At The End of The Year

It is one thing to start a journey and another to end it. As we often celebrate the start and end of every year, we should also celebrate our personal progress and reflect on our pitfalls for the year. Repeat what you did in the first paragraph by auditing yourself.

In conclusion, I have tried the strategies in this article and they have worked excellently for me. I am still working on my time blocking efficiency. That is one heck of a job! Whoops! 

What other ways have you used to achieve your new year goals? Please share with us in the comment section.

If you like what you read here, click any of the social media buttons under this article to share with your friends.

References:
Watch FIT TO FAT AND BACK DOCUMENTARY here.