Why New Years Resolutions Fail – And How to Fix Them

Today I’m going to talk about why New Years resolutions fail and how to fix them.

New Year’s is a time to reflect and to look forward. So we look back on what we accomplished over the last year and we look forward and we think about what would we like to do next.

So we make New Year’s resolutions – things we want to change things we want to achieve. But what happened to LAST year’s resolutions? Oops how many of those did we finish? How many of those past New Years resolutions did we achieve? What major changes were made as a result of our last year’s resolution and how do we keep this year’s resolutions from turning to dust like last year’s resolutions?

New Years resolutions fail for one simple reason. Resolutions fail because they are goals not processes. So let’s look at the difference.

Let’s take a look at one clear goal, one thing you’d like to achieve. Let’s say for many people it’s something like losing weight. It doesn’t matter what the goal is but this is just an example I’m going to use. Let’s say I decide I would like to lose 40 pounds over the next year.

I set this very clear goal, this very clear resolution that I want to lose 40 pounds. But how much weight do you lose when you set a goal? Well, you don’t lose ANY weight by setting the goal because there are actual processes to losing weight.There are things you actually have to do. You have to change your diet, change your lifestyle. You need to increase your exercise and your activity.

So this is why just setting a resolution doesn’t work because you know a goal all by itself does nothing. A goal is really just a measurement, so it’s the lifestyle changes every day, that every day commitment that are the steps towards achieving your goal

There are processes that are proven to help weight loss:

• if women restrict their calories to 1,500 a day and men 2,000 a day most men and women will lose weight and again there are some differences here you know you’d have to look at and check with your doctor and things
• controlling your portions
• eating whole unprocessed foods
• eating slower
• don’t read or watch TV while you’re eating. It’s really easy for me to go through a whole bag of chips while I’m on the computer or while I’m watching TV
• choosing healthy snacks instead of chips – if I’d reached for those celery sticks or those carrots I’d have probably done a lot better
• join a weight loss support group – people that can help you
• daily at-home exercise routine – you can take a daily walk, that’s something I do every day and it’s really helpful.
• join a fitness center and commit to 3 visits a week
• work with a fitness trainer

I strongly recommend if you have any health issues check with your doctor before starting a major exercise regimen – you want to make sure that you’re you’re doing this safely.

These are all processes that have been proven to work for weight loss. Processes that we know will have an impact if we do them and if we stick to them. so the only way to lose weight is to actually make these lifestyle changes a part of your daily life.

Now maybe you don’t need to lose weight or you’re happy with your current weight. Let’s choose another example that most people can connect to.

Let’s say you would like to become more productive so your goal is I want to get more done at work so I can come home on time and I can take vacations without feeling guilty. I can spend time with my family my friends, I can spend more time in my hobbies, my passions. I want to be not having to worry about work stuff when I get home and I want to be able to get out of work on time.

This is a goal I’m very passionate about because one of the reasons I teach time management is I don’t want people to have to work 80 hours a week just to just to be able to fund their life. Instead, I want them to have full rich lives. I want them to have rewarding careers but also to be able to have a great passionate, fantastic, wonderfu,l curiosity-filled home life as well.

Once again we make this resolution that I’m going to be more productive this year and the resolution saves zero time because all you’ve done is stated I’m going to be more productive but you don’t have a process for it -you don’t have a step-by-step plan for being more productive.

There are proven processes that help productivity:

• find a good task management system and fully commit to it, learn it use it so that becomes your system to organize everything
• learn how to reduce distractions
• use a focus timer I use a countdown timer I set it for 30 minutes and I work in 30-minute time segments
• work in time blocks. I have a set block a time aside for marketing for writing for content development for clients for all the things I have to do.
• leave work on time every day. Just make a habit of saying I’m not gonna work past five anymore or whatever your cutoff time.

There are also learning processes you can do for productivity as well:

1. Take advantage of any time management training through your work. If your work doesn’t have any time management training programs, have them contact me I’ll be happy to provide them with a program.
2. Read productivity books
3. Take time management courses
4. Work with a time management coach. I’d be happy to work with you.
5. Above all make sure you’re applying all this stuff you learn

I want you to dump the New Year’s resolutions, stop worrying about you know these lofty goals of making a million dollars, becoming famous, looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger or whatever your resolutions are and instead set up New Year’s processes.

These are just activities that will work towards those goals step-by-step. So setup New Year’s processes instead of New Year’s resolutions Happy New Year from Captain Time!

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