How are your resolutions coming?
Amazingly, most of us choose pedestrian goals. If we believe YouGov, most of us choose one of these four resolutions: exercise more, eat healthier, save money and lose weight.
I’m betting – even though it’s just the 29th of the month- that you are realizing that you didn’t quite organize your goals as well as you hoped.
Which is exactly what John Norcoss, Marci Mrykalo, and Matthew Blagys reported in the Journal of Clinical Psychology. Actually, they found that within 14 days, 29% of New Year’s Resolutions have bought the farm, 36% get abandoned after 1 month, rising to 50% by three months, with the rest of us simply walking away from our great intentions soon thereafter.
Too many of us fail to determine each of the steps that are necessary for those (or more involved) goals to be converted to reality. We need to replace something we have been doing with something that is a critical step in the achievement of our goal. Or, maybe we looked at the barriers to our being happier (which is why we chose these goals) without realizing what truly makes us happy. It turns out losing weight is not the real driving force- the driving forces revolve about faith, family, friends, and/or meaningful work.
(You would think if we picked such commonly chosen goals, we’d make sure we examined how those [few] who met their objectives actually did so.)
Let’s pick on one of my goals. I want to read at least 10 more books this year than I did last year. Now, that would mean I would need to read almost 3 books a week. When you couple that with the number of journals and technical articles I read, you can see that garnering the time to get this goal to become a reality is pretty ticklish.
Except…
I also swim five days a week. So, now, I bring along a waterproof media player and listen to my new book as I swim certain strokes. (I find it nigh impossible to hear the narrator when I am doing the crawl; the Australian crawl, the back stroke, the side-stroke, and the breast stroke pose no such problems.)
But, maybe you want to organize your day to ensure you ‘get things done’. So, how about doing that when you are garnering and savoring your morning coffee at the local coffee shop? Sure you may miss out on 10 minutes of banter, but you are accomplishing the goal you want to achieve.
Which means this may be the time to explain how I added swimming back into my routine a few years ago.
I am an old fart. Sure, fifty years ago, I swam a mile in 25 minutes or so. 35 years ago, I probably took ten minutes longer. But, I hadn’t swum a lap in more than a dozen years. So, starting was going to be an issue.
So, I decided that instead of assuming that I would start out by spending 30 minutes swimming each day, I elected to swim four or six laps each day. And, then use the facility’s showers to complete that part of my morning routine (including shaving). Once that was digested, I upped my swimming to 10 laps- and since my speed was increasing, I didn’t have to double my time at the pool. (The time it takes for me to shower, shave, and dress has been pretty constant at 8 minutes…)
Now, I swim for 30 minutes each day (I am no longer tracking laps. It’s too hard to do so, while listening to my book!) With the occasional 60 to 90 minute session, when I have a much less crowded schedule- you know, ‘getting things done’.
But, a better way would be if I realized why I wanted to read more books. Is it related to spirituality? My romantic life? Family or friends? Or, a more worthwhile job? In my case, reading more covers several of these issues- incorporating religious tomes covers my spiritual needs with the other reason being I can be more well-rounded and, therefore, project a better image to potential clients.
I hope that gave you some ideas how you to finagle your time – but, more importantly, connect with the reasons that will help you make those resolutions resolute habits.
Though I don’t formally make “resolutions,” so far, I am still doing all of the three of the things I really want to do this year. I’m saving money on my grocery bill, I’m adding more vegetables to my dinners, and I’m reading more inspirational books. But that middle one still needs improvement. I want to add more variety with my veggies, but what I am doing instead is adding the same one – the one I like. A work in progress, I’ll say.
If you want to incorporate more vegetables, try adding winter or summer vegetable medleys as a side or a main course. (I add the veggie medley to quinoa or add cheeses to the veggie medley to ensure I obtain proteins AND vitamins, Jeanine.
I don’t make resolutions but I do like to set goals. Since I started my healthy eating plan last July, my goal is to stick with it this year and continue on my feel good routine for when I hit 70 in a few months. It’s great that you swim 5 days a week and reading all those books, good luck!
I think you have decided to tackle your issue by addressing your intended changes as a goal (and avoiding the term resolution). Whatever works, Martha.
Congrats. I’ve found another time waster is social media; I should set a timer before I randomly start scrolling through Facebook. I look at crochet projects I completed with a young child in the house and I am amazed how I had the time back before the Internet existed. I do know better. It isn’t just being more efficient; it’s using time effectively, and you’ve mastered that skill.
Alana recently posted..Palm in a Box
We never master that skill, Alana. We find ways to refocus our attention more carefully- always seeking out new diversions. It’s a constant trade-off.