Within the past week, millions of resolutions have been made by people all across the world…
lose weight
exercise more
read a book
watch less TV
spend more time with my family
invest more money
…and the majority of people will give up by the end of the month.
Why is it that we quickly give up on making changes? The issue is the “resolution” itself.
A definition for resolution says,
“finding a solution to a problem”
Great. A solution to a problem.
“Problem: I’m overweight. Solution: I need to lose weight.”
“Problem: I’m retiring in two years and I don’t have a penny in savings. Solution: I need to invest more money.”
The issue with the solution to the problem is that there is no plan. There’s no intended course of action. There’s no commitment. It’s like saying the solution to the United States deficit is spending less. It’s true, but that’s not going to fix the problem if there aren’t clear, tangible steps for moving forward.
Here’s what I recommend to turn your resolutions into implementations:
1. Narrow your resolutions down to three or less. More than that is simply impossible to focus on, and by trying to focus on too many you won’t accomplish any of them.
2. Create a plan with hard deadlines and measurable outcomes. If you want to cut your TV consumption in half over the next two months, start by watching an hour less each week until you reach your desired goal. Take baby steps to get where you want to go. While you’re taking small steps, make sure to track your habits to see if you’re making progress. Buy a notebook. Write it down. Set a goal for each week or month and refer to your notes to see if you’re on target.
3. Tell everyone you know about your new change. Tweet and blog about it. Call your closest friends. Send out an email to your coworkers. Ask them to keep you accountable. When your reputation is on the line, there’s no doubt you’ll be more likely to implement.