How to Keep New Year’s Resolutions
Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project, put together these tips for making and keeping New Year’s resolutions:
1. Ask: “What would make me happier?” Think more of something good – or less of something bad.
2. Ask: “What is a concrete action that would bring about change?” Avoid abstract resolutions (hard to keep.) Look for a specific, measurable action.
3. Ask: “Am I a ‘yes’ resolver or a ‘no’ resolver?” A lot of my resolutions are aimed at getting me to stop doing something or to do something I don’t really want to do. There’s no right way to make a resolution, but it’s important to know what works for you.
4. Ask: “Am I starting small enough?” Many people make super-ambitious resolutions and then drop them, feeling defeated, before January is over. Start small! Don’t over-estimate what we can do over a short time and under-estimate what we can do over a long time, if we make consistent, small steps.
5. Ask: “How am I going to hold myself accountable?” Accountability is the secret to sticking to resolutions. Accountability is why #2 is so important. If your resolution is too vague, it’s hard to measure whether you’ve been keeping it. A resolution to “Eat healthier” is harder to track than “Eat salad for lunch three times a week.”
The WSJ suggests the following:
• Take one step at a time.
• Get a little help from your friends.
• Change your environment.
• Announce your intentions.
• Figure out your attachment to bad habits.
• Expect setbacks.
Good suggestions all.
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Source:
Five Tips for Planning Effective New Year’s Resolutions
December 16, 2009
http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/2009/12/five-tips-for-planning-effective-new-years-resolutions.html
A Cheat Sheet for Keeping Resolutions
SUE SHELLENBARGER
WSJ, DECEMBER 31, 2009
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704234304574625993885272978.html
January 1st, 2010 at 12:46 pm
Dear Leader’s resolution…
North Korea makes peace pledge in New Year column
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/01/01/nkorea.nuclear/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn
Iranian Cleric/Oil guys resolution…
No mercy for opposition, Iran says
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2009/12/29/No-mercy-for-opposition-Iran-says/UPI-50301262115000/
Mousavi’s reolution…
Mousavi ‘ready to die’ for reform in Iran
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8436919.stm
January 1st, 2010 at 1:04 pm
ehhhhhhhhh, i’ve taught this stuff for 15 years, imho, 80% of change is knowing why, and the why is as different as each person, the how is all standard biz 101 stuff
Habit is like a cable, we weave a thread of it everyday, until one day it becomes unbreakable.
by thomas mann
it works both ways for positive and negative
for a tip the most important part is your Accounting/Reporting/Monitoring of the goal.
u need to determine if you are primarily visual, auditory or kinesthetic, ie, feeling
I can tell just by her title she is kinesthetic type, most likely
this sets up the primary problem with employee-managers, and spouses, if you have a different primary measuring mechanism, you get all sorts of conflicts
fwiw- we is in a hearing world, green shoots anyone
BR is primarily visual, ala, following the metrics and his favorite chart, be damned what other pundits say
all, fwiw,
January 1st, 2010 at 1:15 pm
simple…….don’t make ‘em
January 1st, 2010 at 1:48 pm
This caught my eye as a good resolution:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/move-your-money-a-new-yea_b_406022.html
For all the Kudlow fans here is a good smackdown and worthwhile resolution, don’t listen to partisan pundits.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-tv/arianna-calls-out-kudlow_b_408480.html
January 1st, 2010 at 2:50 pm
Here are my favorite resolutions from D.C. :
http://outsidethe-cardboard-box.tumblr.com/post/310175975/new-years-resolutions-from-the-nations-capitol
Happy New Year!
January 1st, 2010 at 2:59 pm
While the list from “The Happiness Project” may be more useful than others, I agree with “How the Common Man Sees It” (comment above): Don’t make New Year’s resolutions!
Postponing resolutions to change behavior to January of each year is indicative of poor self-management, herd behavior, and a low correlation to success. This postponement for what is intended to be positive change is simply an enabler of self-defeating behavior.
If one wants to make a change (i.e. stop bad habits, begin good habits), the best time was yesterday, the second best time is today, and the worst time is tomorrow.
Essentially, the one and only “resolution” needed is to seek self-knowledge.
Once again, all of the questions in the list provided above may be more useful in helping to make resolutions than the typical annual lists, the questions will still lead to answers and actions that are likely to be self-defeating unless the more difficult questions, such as “Who am I?” and “Where am I going?” are first asked and answered for oneself.
If all else fails, simply apply the virtue of moderation…
January 1st, 2010 at 3:17 pm
how about a resolution- never ever to put the volume on cnbc
January 1st, 2010 at 3:34 pm
So what are your resolutions for the new year, Barry?
January 1st, 2010 at 3:35 pm
Resolutions: Longer holding periods, more radio/less tv, using options on high confidence/high probability trades, less media, more vegetables, return to the swimming pool.
January 1st, 2010 at 3:51 pm
Kent, lol
The best time too plant a tree is 25 years ago and today. Anias Ninh, (sp)
January 1st, 2010 at 5:49 pm
Barry, I see that you ignored the advice in the column about specific, measurable goals!
January 1st, 2010 at 6:22 pm
Gnothi Seauton and Meden Agan, eh Kent?
True wisdom, in four words.
January 1st, 2010 at 7:09 pm
“simple…….don’t make ‘em”–HTCMSI, above
“..Postponing resolutions to change behavior to January of each year is indicative of poor self-management, herd behavior, and a low correlation to success. This postponement for what is intended to be positive change is simply an enabler of self-defeating behavior…”–Kent, TFP, above
No kidding!~ Whole Industry Verticals would disappear, if people would, only, hew to what is, already, known, though seldom practiced..note, for starters, the perennial ‘Weight-loss’ ads..
“Essentially, the one and only “resolution” needed is to seek self-knowledge…
…likely to be self-defeating unless the more difficult questions, such as “Who am I?” and “Where am I going?” are first asked and answered for oneself.”
…
“If all else fails, simply apply the virtue of moderation…”–Kent, ibid.
“for a tip, the most important part is your Accounting/Reporting/Monitoring of the goal.”–torrie-amos, above
Care to get a better Polaroid of where/what/who you are? Write down what you do for ~72 hours..
with that, most people will have, more than, enough info to begin charting a new course..
though, simply, we may do well to remember, as this, from Walter Malone’s poem “Oppurtunity”, puts forth..
They do me wrong who say I come no more
When once I knock and fail to find you in;
For every day I stand outside your door
And bid you wake, and rise to fight and win.
Wail not for precious chances passed away!
Weep not for golden ages on the wane!
Each night I burn the records of the day–
At sunrise every soul is born again!
http://www.poetry-archive.com/m/opportunity.html
January 1st, 2010 at 9:49 pm
Interesting trade-related resolutions, Barry.
January 1st, 2010 at 10:36 pm
torrie-amos says : Habit is like a cable, we weave a thread of it everyday, until one day it becomes unbreakable.
by thomas mann … yes but still inflammable
Barry says : Longer holding periods … at the conjugual level ?
more radio/less tv …
I strongly suggest internet radio, lot better than Sirius, for a small fee of $35/year with Live365, I have VIP access, excellent sound quality and more choice. You will found the station that has your musical preferences. In my case its AttentionSpanRadio (fusion/jazz rock…) and ZappaRadio mostly. [BR: I meant for appearances]
less media … not sure what you mean… what media? less blogging? [BR: same]
My resolutions : continue my path of reasonable personal finances, finish killing all my debts, save more funds for retirement, start a tax-free savings account (I’m canadian), more quality reading, more quality food, more quality friends, and stop seeing AVATAR, maybe 3 times is enough.
January 2nd, 2010 at 12:58 am
Resolutions for America, 2010.
1: Scrap your Hummer.
2:Insulate your home and upgrade efficiency on your heating and cooling systems.
3:Investigate locally produced green energy.
4: Invest in locally produced green energy.
5: Excercise.
6: Try to grow some veggies.
7: Pay off debt.
8: Move your money from tbtf banks.
9: Vote.
All small steps but Change begins with you.
January 2nd, 2010 at 9:04 pm
@bman says:
Would have been caught dead before purchasing a “Hummer”…(the death vehicle for “Blackwater/ZE” …but the rest I’ve been doing…. Still have Checking at BAC…but took cash reserve and moved it to the local bank that Chris says is OK here in my state (according to this thingy with Arianna at Huff Post)……so it will take a bit to get my checking moved but they lost being able to use the rest I had in savings with them.
The rest on your list is stuff we are part of. Clay Soil where we live…so we do our own herbs on deck with some potted Tomato Plants…and support our local organic farmers who can grow what we can’t on our clay hillside. (we’ve tried raised beds and the rest…but just hasn’t worked) What’s funny is that when we lived in Connecticut we removed the rocks from our yard and had incredible gardens with beautiful Tomato, squash, beans and even collard greens! Here in NC we haven’t been able to grow a decent “Big Boy Tomato” or more than a couple of zuchinni or yellow squash without the cut worms getting us…and forget the rest.
Anyway…good goals. Not all of us can meat the 9 points but…it’s a good list to work for.