New Year’s Resolution [Sweet Reminder, Don’t Wait For December]

Linda Gjokaj
Sep 8, 2018 · 3 min read

Admit it, at least once in your lifetime (if not every year) you conducted “New Year, New Me” list. If not written on a piece of paper, you had it on your mind — It’s called New Year’s Resolution and it is supposed to bring major changes in your life.

You know exactly what that is, but is it wrong to have that list? Well… no, or maybe yes.

Why?

Over-baked muffin (All rights reserved)

Because it is just a list, and it remains so for the rest of your 365 days. Time management firm, FranklinCovey concluded that one third of resolutioners don’t make it past the end of January.

Why do we fail it (Why I failed it)?

1. If you’re doing it, I am doing it. I did the list because (I hate to say this, but it is true) everybody was doing it and we all love to feel more inclusive and have that end-of-the-year feeling of belonging somewhere. I envied my friends listing up their vivid, frankly beautiful plans for 2018.

2. Mounting goals. Check your “New Year’s Resolution” again. Yes, do it right now and tell me how realistic and doable that is? Be honest with yourself. In 2017, I wanted to learn Chinese in in a period of four- five months (yes, you can laugh). Deep inside somehow, I knew that was not going to happen because by the start of 2017 I already had four ongoing activities and was working around the clock.

But come on, it felt so good listing it.

3. Too general. Instead of listing what you want, plan how you will achieve x and y. In 2017 I planned to do a lot of things, write a business plan, launch a business or a non-for-profit organisation, but I never had the concrete idea. All these plans were very general, with no foreseen actions.

New Year’s Resolution (How to make it happen)

In 2018, I started with two, maybe three major goals. Nothing new, just a continuity of what I had left unaccomplished in 2017. I made an action plan and divided it into months, then I went through the following steps:

  1. Don’t Wait For December — Go check it regularly and follow your progress, remind yourself of your plan.

2. Small and Planned Actions — Don’t go too big, keep it simple and realistic. Be true to yourself. Turn your huge plans into small increments.

3. Old You Only A Little Better — I read it a while ago and loved this. It is exactly how I would describe my 2018 goals.

4. Set Deadlines — Yes, the urgency of having a deadline is a great prompt towards reaching and fulfilling our goals.

5. Don’t make a wish make it a plan — Sit quietly TODAY, don’t wait for December and make your goals SMART:

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound

That’s it.

I am sorry for reminding you that this year is already gone, it’s end of the summer but WINTER IS COMING (GOT fans), and I wanted to nicely help you get prepared for 2019

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Linda Gjokaj

Written by

Communication| Creative Content| Entrepreneurship and a passionately curious alpha women.

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