So, did you make any resolutions for 2010? Have you set any new goals?
Many people do, and most people fail. In fact, according to one survey a couple years ago, a third of all resolutions don’t last beyond January.
So, in the spirit of helping those resolutions make it out of January alive, here’s a round-up of links related to goal setting and New Year’s resolutions.
Five tips to make it more likely you’ll achieve your goals
The Guardian reports a university study that found those that were most likely to be successful with new resolutions had five key strategies: breaking their goals into smaller pieces, rewarding themselves when they achieved one of these sub-goals, focused on the benefits of success, kept a journal about their progress and told their friends about the goals. New year’s resolutions doomed to failure, say psychologists.
You must ‘fight like hell’ to make these changes
Dave Navarro, in his typical ass-kicking fashion, advises that you approach your new year’s resolutions with your eyes wide open. Changing your behavior isn’t easy and will require consistent work and effort, so prepare for that. What No One Will Tell You About the New Year.
Six tips for discovering your true passion
Think you should be setting goals, or resolutions, or something – but not sure what yours should be? Pick the Brain has six tips on how to discover your true passion, including:
- Start with your talents.
- Be open to new experiences.
- Communicate with people in your field.
As suggested in the Guardian story above, focusing on the positive gives you a much greater chance of achieving your goals, so finding your true passions is likely to make it much easier for you to set goals that you will really achieve. 6 Tips to Discovering What Lights Your Fire
Five steps to setting clear goals
As should be obvious by now, one of the keys to being successful is to set goals that are clear and specific. So how do you do that? White Dove Books has a simple five-step process to help you create goals that are very specific. How to Set Clear Goals
Some ideas for getting unstuck
If you’re feeling stuck – you just don’t know what to do or where to start, despite a feeling that you should be doing something – read this post from Chirs Guillebeau’s fabulous The Art of Non-comformity. He has a few simple tips designed to help you get out of that place of being stuck and into a more productive place. Feeling Stuck? Try This
Resolutions for being happier, month by month
If you want some ideas for resolutions that will just make you happier, check out Gretchen Rubin’s Happiness Project. She has a simple month-by-month plan for making small changes in your life to make you happier. You can sign a pledge to try these (which will make you more likely to actually follow through) and then subscribe to Gretchen’s blog for free. She’ll be making short videos each month that provide advice on that month’s very reasonable happiness resolution. Make 2010 a Happier Year. Decide Now
Gretchen has a new book out, The Happiness Project, based on the work she’s been documenting on her blog. I haven’t read it, yet, but if it’s half as good as the blog it should be a fantastic book.
A definitive guide to sticking to your new year’s resolutions
Leo Babuta of Zen Habits has a seven-step method for succeeding in your resolutions. In fact, he’s gone beyond that and created a new site based on this method, called Six Changes. He suggests that you could create as many as six new habits this year by adopting his method. That’s actually more ambitious than I would suggest – I like three to five major goals at a time, max. But I like his method and I think there’s a lot of truth in it. The Definitive Guide to Sticking to Your New Year’s Resolutions
Four writers’ tips on achieving goals
Web Worker Daily has collected advice from several authors – Gretchen Rubin, Josh Leibner, Joseph Don Goewey and Sam Glenn – about how to make changes stick. It’s all good advice. I find Joseph Don Goeway’s thoughts about particular strategies working better for men or women especially interesting. New Authors Look at New Year’s Resolutions
David Allen’s approach to setting goals for the new year
Time management guru David Allen lays out a way to review your 2009 – what you did, how the year went and so forth – and come up with new goal for 2010. He includes a list of several key areas of your life (physical, emotional, financial, etc.) that you might want to consider. Scroll down to “David’s Coaching Tips” to see his advice. Productive Living – David’s Coaching Tips
10 steps to achieving your new year’s resolutions
CNN lays out 10 tips to help you stay motivated and actually achieve your new year’s resolutions:
- Set smaller goals with smaller steps.
- Frame your goals positively.
- Look at the pros and cons.
- Get a resolution buddy.
- Be specific.
- Know thyself.
- Examine deeper issues.
- Don’t be overanxious.
- Be flexible.
- Keep your eye on the ball.
Go to the story to read more details on each of these. 10 Ways to Get Motivated for Change in 2010
