When some are asked, “What are you going to do different in 2012?” you hear the general simple responses of:
- work out/lose weight
- eat healthier
- quit smoking/drinking
- put away money in the bank
- volunteer
- floss…
But then by the time February 1st comes, those simple goals are given up on. Let me ask you, are these goals either too simple or not detailed enough? Sure, anyone can make a goal but when are you going to take the time to plan out the HOW so giving up on yet another resolution is not as simple.
2011 has been such a stretching year but my wife and I seemed to accomplish a lot of our goals due to detailed planning. New Years 2011 we were living in Tampa with full time jobs and we were surrounded by family and friends. Our resolution was to find jobs in New York and then move there over the summer. That is not something that can be done on a whim and with a lack of planning. As detailed as we had to plan a life change such as that, what makes you think the list above does not require some details? You are not going to quit smoking one day because you feel like it. You are not going to quit drinking while being with the same crowd that frequents the bar every Friday and that is the only time you spend with them.
What about a change of mindset or work ethic? In the past month, I feel like I have given initiative-based advice and recycled phrases due to peoples circumstances, so, I might as well make it public and someone else can benefit from it.
Ask yourself these questions: Are your work ethics on the offense or defense? Do you take action when you see it is necessary or do you wait for an action to then deliver a re-action? If your new years resolution is to get a better position at work or at another job, what actions are you taking to do so? Or are you waiting for your boss to recognize how you work to then give you a raise? If that sounds like you, maybe some things that I have gone through can help you create a more detailed 2012 new years resolution.
I enjoyed reading and listening to The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss. I got the book for my mornings lunches and nights and I also got the CDs for the car. While you cannot follow this process word for word unless you are trying to create a start-up business, follow along with it and see how similar principals can be applied to your life. The primary phrase that I live by daily in my work ethic is, “Are you productive or are you active?” I have this taped on the top of my monitor. There were some many things that I did day to day that just made me active but I did not feel like I was being very productive.
I assessed my daily routines and figured out what could be altered so there was not unnecessary repeated processes. My main one was to take my Outlook off of the “refresh every minute” mode. Is it absolutely necessary to interrupt your production to get your email updates every minute? Or could you possibly have your notifications to come through every 10 minutes? I have increased to not checking emails for an hour and eventually, I want to get to the point where the duration is longer than that. There are so many things that can be done when you do not have the audible and visual notification that you need to stop what you are doing and see that you have another spam message or something that can be taken care of later. If it is absolutely important, generally people would call for immediate assistance.
Every year, I take a step back and actually think, “What can be changed this year?” Do not let another resolution fade away. Set a goal, jump in the driver’s seat and get it done. Do the necessary planning that will keep you accountable and tell others that are as excited about accomplishing their resolution too. Are you being productive or just active?
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