It’s a new year, which for most of us means we’ll make resolutions and then give up on them.
There are many reasons we abandon our resolutions and a few ways we can help ensure we won’t.
“Planning” to be successful is one of them.
One of my favorite quotes – “Goals not put to paper are seeds without soil – they’ll blow away in even the gentlest breeze” – sums up just how important it is to write things down.
A planner is the perfect place to track your resolutions – which reminds me of one of my favorite Mark Twain quotes – “It doesn’t matter if you’re on the right track, if you just stand there, you’ll still get run over.”
A planner can help you manage your daily to-do list, but it can also help you stay on track with your resolutions.
Now that you know why you need one – how do you choose the right one?
There is no one size fits all solution to this question.
I use a medium sized Happy Planner – it’s perfect for all of the things I track and it fits easily into my tote bag.
My mother uses the large Happy Planner – she adds more details to her daily list and enjoys having the extra space to use as a journal.
My girlfriend Jessie uses one of the small checkbook style planners – super small, lightweight and easy to carry.
My advice –
Choose a size that you can comfortably carry with you – it’s important to be able to add notes or record things where ever you might be, especially if you have goals around things like weight loss, diet or exercise.
Choose a planner that is’nt going to be overwhelming. This is a common mistake – your planner doesn’t have to be crafty and beautiful, it certainly can be, but if finding time to “create” your planner each day/week/month becomes stressful, you’ll abandon it along with your resolutions.
Using your planner
Start simple! You can always get more detailed, add more lists, or track more stuff – but first you want to build good habits.
Write down your resolutions – maybe on sticky note that you move easily from week to week or month to month.
Decide on a way to track them – If weight loss is your goal you’ll want to track daily things, if planning a trip is your goal, you might want to track weekly things.
Choose a time to update your planner – you may be able to keep your planner updated throughout the day, even it that is the case, I’d recommend setting aside a few minutes towards the end of your day; maybe the last 5 minutes at work, right after dinner or just before bed – to review your day, note your accomplishments or failures and preview the next day.
I’m thinking of starting a planning/goal setting Facebook group – is this something you would be interested in joining? If so, please leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts.
Thanks so much for stopping by today!
