After the bells have chimed and the last of the brandy has been drunk, it’s time to cast your eyes to the future and consider what changes you want to make going forward. The start of the year is exciting, but it’s also daunting – for how long do you realistically expect to keep those self-promises you made on the first of January? In this article we look at some strategies to help you out.
Maybe it’s time to buy a new pair of running shoes, organize your clothes and clear out your closet, or buy-in a kitchen full of fresh ingredients. Whatever you decide to pursue in the new year your success will be measured by the life improvements you experienced and how long you can sustain it. This can all be improved with effective organization.
You Adjust Your Expectations
If you’re like most people you will have tried a New Year’s resolution in the past and failed. It’s pretty common. The New Year is a time for symbolic renewal and it’s easy to get caught up with inspiration without having a realistic plan.
This is why expectations are important. It might be hard to identify your goals if you haven’t attempted something before but don’t expect too much from yourself. Set your goals at realistic levels and you’ll have a better chance of achieving them.
Understanding your expectations and setting realistic goals is a form of organization that will help you to uphold your seasonal aspirations. Without these realistic expectations you are setting yourself up for frustration and failure.
You Understand Your Requirements
Have you ever started a diet only to run out of your essential healthy snacks and eat chocolate instead? Or given up on your running because the shoe you had wore out and you didn’t get around to replacing them?
This is a common feature of resolution failure that can be overcome with effective organization. When you set yourself a New Year’s goal the idea is to improve your lifestyle somehow, this often requires forward planning and investment.
Whether you want to gain more fitness, reduce your weight, or downsize your home for a minimalist lifestyle, you need to consider the requirements of the task and organize them in advance. This will increase your chances of success.
Your Resolutions are Easy to Keep
You want to make resolutions for yourself that are pragmatic. The resolution needs to be easy enough for you to keep but also challenging enough to make a difference in your life. The key to success is supportive conditions.
Let’s say you want to downsize your home and lead a more minimalist lifestyle. You might be able to do something without much effort but if your closet is stuffed full of items how much have you really downsized?
Make your resolutions easy to keep by thinking ahead and creating the supportive conditions that will allow you to keep going long term. Don’t start by minimizing the rooms in your home, start by minimizing your closet space and organizing your clothes.
You Have More Time and Space
If you’re inspired to get involved in a new activity at the beginning of the year take some time to organize yourself before jumping in. A little bit or organization will go a long way and give you more time and space to work with.
Whether it’s running, yoga, writing, meditating, or anything else, you will be far better served if you know when you will do the activity each day and how long you will engage in it for. This kind of organizing helps integrate the activity with your everyday life.
Never get stressed again about fitting a new activity into your life or worry about not having time for other things. Spend some time contemplating and planning an effective strategy for integration and you won’t miss out on anything.
You Have a Goal-orientated Plan
If you don’t have goals, even if they’re only simplistic ones, you will never know how much progress you’ve made since the start of the year. Without this progress data you might feel uninspired or unmotivated to continue.
Organize your New Year’s resolution by using SMART goals. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. If you make some effective SMART goals you will be able to track your progress easily and stay inspired.
Remember to keep your goals achievable, especially in the beginning before you know your capacity for the activity. To track your progress considerably using a chart in Google Sheets or a journal app.
