I’m not a big “New Year’s Resolutions” guy, so in keeping with the Exupery quotation I’ve discussed in previous shows and use to guide me on our simplicity journey, I thought I’d give resolutions a little twist. If you recall, Exupery said, “Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing left to add, but nothing left to take away.” So let’s resolve to remove some things that add no positive value in our lives. Only you know what applies to you and what’s right for you, but here are some suggestions for consideration…

Stop wasting opportunities:

 Stop letting what you already have go unused:

Stop “holding on”…some stuff is just not necessary any more:

Stop Letting Others Dictate How You Use Your Time:

Stop Living in the Past

The next one is: Stop Undervaluing Yourself

And Finally…Stop Letting Drama Have a Stage in Your Life

Well, with the New Year quickly approaching, many of you (including me) are probably thinking about things that you would like to improve on…habits you’d like to quit…or good habits you’d like to start! So…of course I thought it would be fitting to share some tips on how to make your resolutions a success. Keep in mind you can use them any time of the year and for practically any type of goal or project you are working on.

Pick only 1 – 2 resolutions.

If you’re like me, you’ve probably got a few things you’d like to improve upon, but don’t tackle everything all at once! Pick the things that are nagging or affecting your life the most.

Be realistic about your resolution or goal.

For example…having more money may be a goal of yours.  Winning the lottery vs. saving a little money each month are two very different ways to have more money.  The later idea is probably a little bit more realistic.  Or take your fitness goals…running a marathon and  tackling a 5 or 10K are distinctly different goals.  If you’ve been running for years then a marathon may be reasonable and attainable.  But if you’re new to running or haven’t run in years…then a marathon is probably not a good idea…and maybe a little bit dangerous.  Or you want to lose 40 lbs in a month…probably not realistic…nor is it a good idea. So try to be realistic.

Be specific about your goal.  

Choose “I want to lose 20 lbs in 6 months”  vs. “I want to lose weight” or…“I want to organize one room per month” vs. “I want to organize my entire house”.  The more specific you are the better chance you have at accomplishing your goal.

Tackle your goals in small chunks.  

Break your goals down into small, manageable chunks.  Lets say for example you want to save enough money for a family vacation.  Maybe that’ll cost $2000.  Well, maybe you could divide that amount by the time you have before you go on the trip (lets say…9 months).  Which comes out to $222/month.  From there you can figure out ways to cut spending month by month rather than all in one shot.  

Tell folks about your goals.  

There is something to be said about positive peer pressure. Tell those you trust and who you know will help you stay on track.  I’m amazed at how much that will motivate me.  I’ve posted things on Facebook about training for a marathon or starting a juice fast…and I’ve been amazed at how some people will track or ask me about my progress.  They’re actually interested in my success….or maybe they’re interested in my success so that they feel motivated to do the same thing?  Whatever the case, positive peer pressure can be a motivator.

Get a fitness buddy, organizing partner, or quitting buddy to help you with your goals.  It’s a lot easier to turn off your 4 am alarm to go to the gym when it’s just you.  But if you know you’re supposed to meet your workout buddy…it’s a little bit harder to not show up…you don’t want to face the disappointment. Funny thing is, the journey to achieving your goal is usually a lot more fun when you’re working on it together!

Use your calendar to help you stay accountable.  I recommend this to my clients all the time.  If you want to work on a project or to develop a new habit first break it down into steps and then put it on your calendar.  For example:

Write down your goals and keep a log.  

Monitor your fitness, organizing, quitting, or financial goals by simply writing them down and then tracking them.  I do this for my fitness.  I have a separate workout calendar on my google calendar that lists my workouts for each week.  Then I have a separate calendar that I keep where I track what I actually did.  Sometimes I finished it….sometimes I didn’t.  But is was great to see the record of what I’ve done.  I’ve also done this with my marathon training.  I printed out my training schedule and then I would write down the mileage I completed for each day I ran and then I would add up the mileage for the week.  We also have Withings wifi scale that keeps track of our weight, body fat and BMI numbers.  Now I keep track of my fitness by using a couple of apps.  More on that in a second….

Expect setbacks…but don’t get discouraged.  Jump back on the wagon!!!

Use apps to help maintain your goals.  I pulled these from Mashable.com:

Reward yourself.

I’ve got a client who’s goal is to organize her office.  Once it’s organized she’s going to get herself a new iMac.  She already has the money set aside, but she made a promise not to spend it until she’s organized that office! Now that’s a great way to reward yourself for accomplishing a goal!

Dan:  Clipboard managers that remember your history for cutting and pasting as you work

        Vanessa: Using “Canned Statements” in Gmail

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