Ah, January. A time to think back to this time last year and try to remember all the things you promised to do by now.
So, how’d you do?
You know, resolutions get a lot of heat these days, but a recent study showed 46% of resolvers actually achieve their goal. That’s pretty damn good, I was expecting that to be way lower; pretty much a coin flip.
Wait a minute, why should you listen to this random dude on the internet (me)?
Listen dude… mam…, I’ll have you know that I did a pretty good job this year, and after failing for about 40 years in a row, I think I have a pretty good handle on what doesn’t work. Let the record show that last year I set three resolutions for myself and using the method below actually achieved those goals despite my severe lack of willpower to do so (and I plan on knocking it outta the park again this year too).
So, here’s how we do it:
Firmly set the goalposts
You gotta be specific, none of this “lose weight”, “read more”, “exercise sometimes”, “save money”, or “don’t be such a dick” BS. How much? What’s your target? Be specific:
- Lose 30 pounds
- Read at least 2 books a month
- Save $10,000 for emergencies
- Build a blog from scratch
And don’t try to do too much, pick a maximum of 3 things (ideally 1).
Light the fire
This step is important, so don’t skip it! Why are you doing this. What’s your motivation? If it’s just “sh!ts and giggles,” you may as well give up now. Again, the more specific the better.
- I want to be healthy for my kids
- I want to fix my rotten TikTok brain
- I want to stop having panic attacks about money
- I want to have a relaxing creative outlet
Got it? Good, now write it down. You’ll need it later.
Sharpen the axe
You know the what and the why, so now it’s time to figure out the how. What are you going to do to get this done? Again, specific actions:
- Lose 20 pounds
- Intermittent fasting 18/6 every day
- 1800 calorie limit per day
- Exercise at least 30 minutes at least 5 days a week.
- Read 2 books a month
- Get a library card
- Read for an hour per day at least 6 days a week
- Set your phone’s downtime to limit doom-scrolling.
- Save $10,000 for emergencies
- Open a savings account
- Set up automated transfer of $384 after each payday
- Make a budget
- Find opportunities to save money
- Build a blog from scratch
- Set designated hobby time
- Doodle in spare time
- Build a workflow
- Set up the technical stuff (hosting, platform, etc)
Keep in mind, this might just be your starting point. Your plan can (and maybe should) change throughout the year as you near your goal. Don’t hesitate to Refine your how.
Rinse and repeat
This is the failure point for most people. They go hard in January and February and burn out by March. Hell, just look at gyms; they’re making bank in those first two months of the year and then everybody clears out. Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Your goal in this step is to be consistent, build a routine, and (if you do it right) make it into a habit. If you can do that, you’ll find yourself in that 46% at the end of the year.
Bonus tip: Remove friction points in this step. You know you better than anyone. What excuses are you going to make? Get ahead of all your excuses. Are you usually tired after work? Do you stuff in the morning. Don’t want to drive to the gym? Work out at home. The less friction between you and what you have to do, the less excuses you’ll have to break your new routine.
This also works in reverse. Build friction between you and what you don’t want to do. Want to cut snacks, don’t buy them. Make it inconvenient to do the things you don’t want to do.
Oh and when you do fail (which you will), fail gracefully (like a cat). Forgive yourself, and pick up where you left off. Don’t fly off the handle and go on a bender; it’s not worth the hangover. Remember your fire; you wrote it down didn’t you?
Track your progress
Here’s your secret weapon. Go and get a weekly organizer (I like Moleskine), and write in it daily (no you can’t use your phone, put that damn thing away). Don’t worry about not having anything to write, it doesn’t need to be much. In fact, do what I do and make a code. Every time you do the thing, put a star on that day, any time you mess up, put an X. Write what worked and what didn’t. This helps you to be mindful and accountable to your successes and failures.
Put checkpoints in your organizer throughout the year. Hell, buy a pack of gold star stickers and stick them on for those days you really nail it. Do whatever feels right for you and your goal(s), but keep your organizer with you and updated. It’s also a good place to keep your fire.
I believe in you
Listen, you got this. If you get lost along the way, check your fire (check it often), and you’ll do fine. If you fail for a day/week/month, do it like a cat (gracefully) and just pick up where you left off as if no one noticed (not even you). I hope this article helped you get on track this year. I’m rooting for ya. Get it done.
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