Happy New Year’s Resolution!

It’s that New Year’s Resolution time of year. You can find articles (article 1 & article 2) everywhere that list the top New Year’s Resolutions. Just look at social media or news apps. It’s on the minds of many of us these days. Do you know what you will resolve to change in your life this year? Are you even going to make a New Year’s resolution? More than half of N.Y. resolutions fail. (According to the time management firm Franklin Coveyone-third of those that make resolutions don’t make it past the end of January.) But this doesn’t have to be you!

Have a Happy New Years’ Resolution!

Wikipedia defines a New Year’s Resolution as a tradition, most common in the Western World but also found in the Eastern World, in which a person resolves to continue good practices, change an undesired trait or behavior, accomplish a personal goal, or otherwise improve their behavior.
Want to succeed? The most important thing to do is to identify the right resolution for you, then create a plan on how to reach your goal and get support to achieve it.

The most popular New Year’s Resolutions!

Lose Weight * Get Organized * Manage Debt * Save Money * Get a Better Job * Get Fit * Eat Right *
Get a Better Education * Quit Smoking * Reduce Stress * Volunteer
Is your resolution on this list?

Pick Right

Pick a resolution that is meaningful to you, but also doable. Be specific/concrete on what you want to achieve. Have a way to measure your progress. Be realistic – It’s OK to stretch yourself, but it needs to be possible. It needs to matter to you – If you don’t care it won’t happen.

Have a New Year’s Resolution Plan

What’s your plan? Your plan needs to address how you are going to create a new habit or break an old habit. Here’s a clue – include your plan in what you are already doing. Want to walk every day? Schedule yourself to walk on your work lunch break or walk the kids to school. These are things you are already doing, so adding a new focus to something you already do makes it easier to create a new habit.

Stay on Track

Change is hard and no one is perfect. You can help yourself stay on track by focusing on small goals. Instead of saying that you’ll walk every day for the next year, say that you’ll average walking 4 days a week for a year. Keep track on a calendar and reward yourself each week that you meet your average. Celebrating the small wins will keep you positive and continue the shape that new habit.

Get Support

You don’t need to do it alone. Find accountability by stating your goal on social media and then reporting back regularly. You may find support through an accountability partner. A family member or friend that you can report to or better yet, someone with the same or similar goal and you can pair up for accountability.

Resolution Restart

We are all human and are going to mess up. Don’t stop! If you get off track identify if your resolution is still important to you.
Yes, start again with a fresh perspective. No, find the good in what you’ve already achieved.

Full Disclosure

Every year I make business resolutions. They are really goals that I set for my company. I’m not so good at personal resolutions. I think because I know that other people are counting on me for the success of my business I’m able to focus on those goals (some good accountability going on in business). I guess I need to get myself a personal accountability partner. Not perfect – Just human.
Read more of my thoughts on the subject here.
Happy New Year!
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Janet Schiesl

Janet Schiesl

Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.

She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.

Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.

Janet Schiesl

Janet Schiesl

Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.

She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.

Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.

10 Comments

  1. Seana Turner on January 2, 2023 at 10:09 am

    I’m not sure I have a good resolution this year. I’m still working on it LOL!

    I do agree that having someone who will be checking in to see if you are following through is helpful. Better yet, having a partner who is trying to do the same thing at the same time, right?

    Happy New Year!

    • Janet Schiesl on January 4, 2023 at 11:53 am

      Yes, having a partner with the same goals will make it easier for both people. Then all the pressure isn’t on us alone.

  2. Diane N Quintana on January 2, 2023 at 10:31 am

    I make short term goals (quarterly) with monthly benchmarks to hit (hopefully). I find that making an annual resolution is too much of a reach for me.

    I like what you said about making the resolution concrete and very importantly that it’s ok to restart if you fail at first.

    • Janet Schiesl on January 4, 2023 at 11:54 am

      Making quarterly goals is an excellent idea. A year can be a very long, stressful goal for many people and monthly benchmarks will keep that motivation going as you check them off. Great job!

  3. Sabrina Quairoli on January 2, 2023 at 11:06 am

    I love your tips for picking a suitable resolution. A more specific and realistic goal is super important. I’m going to share this with my Facebook group.

    • Janet Schiesl on January 4, 2023 at 11:57 am

      Thank you! Sometimes a big long term resolution can be simply too overwhelming and smaller, achievable goals keep us motivated and we end up achieving the big things this way.

  4. Janet Barclay on January 2, 2023 at 1:33 pm

    Making improvements to my business and personal life is an ongoing process for me. In the latter part of 2022, I’ve found myself very close to where I want to be, so for now I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing and keeping an eye open for anything that’s not working well.

    • Janet Schiesl on January 4, 2023 at 11:55 am

      That has got to be a great place to be in. Sometimes the best resolution is like you said – keep doing what’s working!

  5. Julie Bestry on January 3, 2023 at 9:17 pm

    I don’t make resolutions. I do set goals, but I know myself well enough that I really only do what I want to do, and a lot of the kinds of business growth options I could go after just don’t appeal to me. If there’s something I want and can achieve it, I usually just stride forward and get it; if I don’t really want it, I make excuses. However, what I most need in my life is often an attitude adjustment, a way of changing how I think or feel about something, and so I’m focusing on *habits* (particularly, as James Clear would say, atomic habits) that will support that attitude adjustment.

    Solid tips for finding the right resolution for your needs!

    • Janet Schiesl on January 4, 2023 at 11:56 am

      Sounds like you’ve got a great plan for the new year. Perspective is just as important, if not more sometimes, than specific goals. I hope all goes well with your atomic habits in 2023!

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