Happy New Year: Beyond the Resolutions
To keep you on track as you manage the year ahead, here’s a new breed of New Year’s resolutions to try.
By Molly Gold
Every January we are given a fresh slate to reorganize our daily lives and attitudes to coincide with our goals. When you define benchmarks for scheduling decisions, you can take the pressure out of getting organized and put the pleasure into enjoying family life 365 days ahead. To help get you started and keep you on track as you manage the year ahead, here's a new breed of New Year's resolutions to try:
Back to Basics
Take a look at your current calendar and evaluate its effectiveness. Make certain it can incorporate schedule information for all family members and is portable, allowing you to take it with you everywhere. Families need a master calendar that is maintained by one person on a regular basis. Consider using a wall calendar at home in a highly visible location that is complemented by your own portable version for maximum success in educating everyone about the order of the day.
Map With Meaning
Sit down and decide what principles will guide your decisions this year as you commit time. Consider defining your time by family, fun, friendship, finance and faith. Each time commitment, no matter if for work or play, impacts your life and the lives of your family members. That means you have a multitude of daily opportunities to follow a roadmap that matches your defining principles. When met with a schedule option, run it through the funnel and match it up before it makes the map. You’ll find a greater sense of balance all around, all year long.
Lists That Linger
This year don't follow the crowd and sign up for the resolutions most often chosen. Instead, on one poster board, make columns with these headings: Parent, Spouse/Partner, Daughter, Sister, Friend. For each heading, make no more than three resolutions regarding your role in this column. If you like, go all out and make it a decorative project you will enjoy viewing daily, because that is your next step. Mount the poster in a highly visible place you know you will see. By viewing it daily, you will remain in sync with your resolutions all year long.
Organize Often
Start today making the choice to live a well organized year. Why? Because when you take time to organize behind the scenes, you free yourself to live in the moment. Make weekly organizing a priority to stay ahead of the game. From meal planning to seasonal cleaning, managing your personal finance to planning your summer garden, each activity requires planning. Block an organizing window on your personal calendar weekly. Use this time to plan, research, outline logistics and execute tasks that fall in this category. Use seasonal to-do lists to inspire your goals. Do not use this as a replacement for the usual duties of paying bills, filing papers, etc. When you make organization part of your routine, you’ll be amazed at how smoothly your year unfolds when the big projects come your way.
Learn more about Molly Gold at www.gomominc.com.
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