New Years Resolutions

I am not a fan of the tradition of making New Year’s resolutions. For two reasons. Firstly, because resolutions do not work. They are actually just wishes or dreams with no target date. They are usually defined in such a generic way (“enjoy life more”, “learn something new”) that do not involve any specific action you should take to achieve them. It is like trying to win the lottery without purchasing any ticket. You know it’s not going to happen.

And secondly, because even if resolutions were well defined—not as desires, but as achievable goals—, they do not have to have anything to do with the calendar year. You should set goals when you need to achieve things, no matter the season it is. Moreover, the time it takes you to reach them can vary. It can take one month or two years, depending on how big or small the goal is, the time you can spend on it and how effective you are.

According to an article I read, the top ten New Year’s resolutions are the following:

1. Spend more time with family and friends.
2. Get fit.
3. Lose weight.
4. Quit smoking.
5. Enjoy life more.
6. Quit drinking.
7. Get out of debt.
8. Learn something new.
9. Help others.
10. … And get more organized.

The funny thing is that, if you ask anyone, all these objectives rarely are met. Most people articulate the same previous year’s resolutions for the next year… again and again.

The problem is that resolutions are just wishes and dreams… These concepts are fuzzy, vague and ambiguous. If you really want to move forward, you have to set goals instead of resolutions. The difference is that goals have these so-called SMART goals:

• They are specific: Transform Get fit into Go to the gym on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays after work.
• They are measurable: How do you know if you’re progressing? Get fit cannot be measured, Go to the gym three days a week is perfectly measurable.
• They are achievable: If your job and family are not permitting you to go to the gym during the week, you can articulate Jog 30 minutes on Saturdays and Sundays. Although, at this point, I’d recommend you to lose the fear to renegotiate your time with your company and your family 😉
• They are realistic: If Win an Olympic gold medal in athletics is not at your fingertips, you should articulate something more reasonable 😛
• They are time targeted: Do not leave it up in the air. I'm going to the gym on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays after work, and I will start on January 9

First, you set your goal for the next 12 months and develop, with no detail, a comprehensive plan to achieve it.

Then you focus on the next 3 months. What should be achieved in the next three months to get aligned with the annual target? Here you define an action plan for the next quarter.

And finally, what should be done in the next month to meet the quarterly target? Here you must define a specific action plan, where every action have a deadline assigned.

Every month you must plan for the following month and every 3 months, for the next quarter.

I use this method to plan my business, but I think it is valid for any project of some magnitude.

I hope that helps. Happy Holidays and thanks for being there! 🙂