Every year, millions of people promise next year will be different. Yet, 365 days later, the vast majority are still relatively the same.
Nobody is perfect. And at any given time there might be a dozen things we wish we could change about ourselves. The popular resolutions are usually centered around health, wellness, money, your career or family.
Let’s take me, for example. Last year, I said I wanted to drink more water, eat less pizza and save more money. There were some small victories, but overall, I still opt for the Mountain Dew over water, pizza over just about anything, and my savings account? Well, you get the point.
This year my plan is to be more specific, and to spend more time thinking about what really matters in my day-to-day life, and what steps I can take to improve it.
Setting Your New Year’s Resolutions
Whether you’re in sales or marketing, there are probably things you wish you had done better in 2018. In sales, no matter how much you sell it’s never enough. In marketing, you probably have 10 campaigns you have planned in your head but haven’t had the time to put down on paper. The reality is, goals are just that – goals. It’s easy to take a day in late December to write down everything you’re going to accomplish in 2019, but the implementation and execution are never easy. Why is that?
Life Gets in the Way
Oftentimes, in the daily grind, we are forced to push things we want to do in order to get the things we need to do done. How many times have you had your entire day planned the night before, only to have it derailed before your finished your first cup of coffee? Probably more than you’d like.
Set Time Aside and Stick to It
Most nights, I write down a list of things I want to accomplish the next day. I break it down into a few different categories:
- Things I absolutely have to do
- Things I should do
- Things I’d like to do
This has been a real game-changer for me, personally. In addition to keeping me organized, it also keeps me focused, and helps me communicate. If you have the ability to set some time aside each night before heading to bed, this is a great exercise to get you started when you wake up.
Limit Distractions
It’s easier than ever to be distracted. Between cell phones, social media, open office plans and push email notifications, it’s hard to stay focused. One way to limit these distractions is to manage your phone’s notification settings.
- Turn the push notifications off for anything that distracts you.
- Check and answer your email three times each day.
- Find a good playlist, and more importantly, a good set of headphones
If something is incredibly important, they’ll call. Taking the above steps prevents you from getting caught up in email or from grabbing your phone every 10 minutes. Get focused. Be focused. Stay focused.
Set Big Goals and Crush Them
The end of the year is an awesome time to recharge your batteries. Set aside one of those days you take off for the holidays for some goal setting. Grab a coffee (or water if one of your goals is to give up coffee!) and settle in for a day of goal setting. Ask yourself these tough questions:
- What do you really want to accomplish this coming year?
- Why do you want to accomplish these goals?
- How will it change your life, or those around you?
- Why haven’t you accomplished your goals in the past?
- What’s preventing you from just doing it?
These are just a few questions to ask, but enough to get your mind going. The first step is writing down your goals, but the more important step is executing what needs to be done to achieve those goals.
Like Nike says: Just do it!
