5 Must Dos for Meaningful Resolutions that will Stick with you All Year

If you go to the gym, you can see all the New Year’s resolutions in one place, packing the joint. The same gym in April is back down to its usual capacity.

We all want something we don’t have — a fitter body, a better job, more money. Even if its something deeper, we can all come up with a list of qualities to bring us to that higher place. It’s just not as easy as writing them down, we need to pick things that are close to our heart and then dangle the right carrot.

If you are truly searching for a sticky plan for the new year, then this is your guide to getting it done.

I sometimes do quarterly planning which is about the extent of my focus — just like all the people at the gym. But that doesn’t mean you can’t go for a longer period — it just requires a different approach.

If you are looking for someone to tell you what type of things you should do, then this article is not for you … yet. There are plenty of resources to help you dig deep to figure out really matters to you. I listened to the Tim Ferris’ podcast and Atomic Habits author, James Clear had some great insights.

On the other hand, if you have a handle on the big picture, but haven’t found the right motivation then this article is for you.

Write a rough draft of what is important to accomplish in the next year.

I like to break them down into categories such as career, health, kids, relationship, etc. It’s good to be blunt on this first run. Like if you want more money, to be fit, or whatever else, say it here. I typically time myself on projects like this…if I’m focused, I’ll allocate 30 minutes but maybe go up to 1 hour.

Draw a mind map of items from your rough draft to create soul stirring goals

English author Tony Buzan popularized the mind map technique. Personally, I was inspired by friend, Dottie Graham of TransitionWork. The idea is to take lined paper and turn it to the side and ignore the lines. Draw, write, or sketch all the things you want from your rough draft.

Turn the details into WHY you want something

Think about the things you want. Draw them and let them transition into the why. For instance, maybe you want to earn more money and the mind map may help you realize you want the money to travel. Does traveling to Sri Lanka or Bali turn your dials? Set the goals to something that will excite you all year and you’ll work harder for the money.

Back up these yearly goals with a quarterly objective

This is where I would go back to what you originally wrote in the rough draft. We often start by articulating the details. If you are looking to get a new job, maybe the first quarter is getting the resume in order, networking with people, applying for jobs, etc. Get detailed here and hold yourself accountable for tasks you can get done. This is where all the work is to achieve that big thing.

After the quarter is up, review your quarterly results and start anew for the next quarter.

How did you do? Hold yourself accountable. It’s okay if you didn’t get everything done. Celebrate small victories and plan for the next quarter. Hopefully you learned something to improve before the year’s up.

I assure you that if you stay focused, you will accomplish what you set out to do. Each task seems so small but when you add them up at the end of the year, you will see great results. I encourage you to celebrate the small victories along the way to build up an efficacy to winning.

Good luck!

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