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Happy New Year!
I can’t believe we are starting 2013 today – it doesn’t seem long since we were waiting for the new millennium, does it!? (or maybe I’m just getting old!)
Well, I thought I’d start the new year off with a post about New Years Resolutions, as they will be close to the heart of many of you, and even if you don’t set them you will probably thought or had a chat about them in recent days!
January 1st.
Christmas and its excesses are over, and now is the most logical time in many peoples eyes to start a new you, a new life, or a new hobby.
Its time to get fit and healthy, and become exactly who you want to be….. Its a clean slate and anythings possible…..right?
Well, I do think of this time of year in this way, but am also very keen not to set myself up for failure – as so many of us do by letting resolutions fall by the wayside once the daily grind sets back in again…..
How many times have you set a resolution on New years eve, that you have ended up quitting before the end of January? – perfect example is how full the gym is in January compared to November!
Most of us will have set a resolution at least once in our lives, and failed in keeping to it, and maybe thats why some of you simply don’t set them anymore…..
The New Year brings with it high expectations, and its a long way to fall when life gets in the way….
So, whats the answer for setting resolutions?
I propose that the best idea is to organise your life in such a way that you create time to do the things that you really want to do, alongside the daily stuff.
The problem with resolutions is that they require time and effort – and if you don’t change the underlying time and effort you have available – where are you going to find it from?!
Instead of setting resolutions, start to change your habits – and that way you will start to streamline your life, making more time and energy for the larger goals you want to pursue in life.
Resolutions are promises, and promises unfortunately can be broken, however, habits are embedded into our very being, and are therefore so much harder to break once they are there – so what do you think is a better idea going forward?!
Change your habits, change your life!
Starting with small changes in your habits will mean that things are manageable and less likely to stop.
Its a proven fact that it takes a person on average around 28 times of doing something for it to become a habit – so stick with it for at least a month and then see how you go.
Heres a link to my post on habits that may just get you started!
When you see your life start to change, and become more streamlined, then you will see opportunities to pursue those things that really get you motivated and energised.
If you create time and energy in your life – and give yourself a time slot each week from this newly found time available, then that slot can be used exactly how you want – and what more perfect way than to pursue a goal you have.
Its absolutely right to have goals in life, to go after things that you want to achieve, but you don’t want to let life get in the way – so you need to make space for things first.
Resolutions always tend to be large changes in your life, and they fail usually because they demand too much time straight away – and where are you getting that time from?
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What should I do first?
If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got
The trick to achieving anything in life and sticking to it, is to do things in a new way.
If you haven’t managed to achieve a goal you set last year, its probably due to lack of time or motivation. People tend to let life get in the way far too often.
Look at your weekly schedule, and work out what you can streamline first. Is there anything obvious that can be removed? are you doing things that can be changed?
Next, add your new habits into the mix to see how much time you save on things you are currently doing by doing them differently – and MAKE TIME for your goals and resolutions.
What about the time saved by putting things back where you found them and having a place for everything – simple but very effective! What about creating a menu plan to save time shopping and cooking, or having a book to read when waiting in queues etc….. – the list really is endless on ways you can save time each day…..
Once you’ve made some time, now for the fun part!
Review the year behind you and look forward to the next.
At the end of the year its a great opportunity to look back and review the past year to see what you have achieved, what went right and wrong, and where you want to be in another 12 months time.
If you consciously think about these things then you are more likely to end up where you want to be in the end, and more likely to be able to find the time to achieve things.
Look at the bigger picture at this time of year, to see the wood for the trees.
What exactly ARE your goals in life?
Have you written them down somewhere?
Nows the time to get them out and check that they are still correct (everyone changes throughout their lives and things become more or less important to them, dependant on circumstances, so its important to keep reviewing goals as you go).
Break your goals down into manageable chunks, steps towards the finish post – and then, using time gained from your new habits, allocate time to dedicate to one of those smaller steps.
You will find that you get there much quicker, and are much more likely to stick to it if you can see progress and aren’t overwhelmed.
In Summary
Change your current habits and schedules to make more time for following your passions and goals, its not enough to simply set a resolution as 9 times out of 10 you simply won’t be able to achieve it as you won’t have made time for it.
Create the time and follow your dreams in the new year – and watch the transformation!
Don’t set resolutions – change your habits!
Just putting a homefile together for just this reason. This is going to be the year i feel more organised and less frustrated with the environment im in!
Really pleased you want to put a home file together Katie – let me know how it goes!