Resolutions schmesolutions
Ah yes, the start of a new year brings the fresh smell of……dashed resolutions.
Womp womp.
This time of year can bring about dicey relationships to goals and resolutions and plans. Often times we sign ourselves up for 347 new ways we’re going to be our best selves…only to find out a few days or weeks into the year, we’re not quite ready to make 347 changes all at once.
This week I listened to a recent podcast with James Clear – who many of you readers already know is one of my favorite folks to quote when it comes to habits and productivity. He reminded me of something he shares in Atomic Habits that feels like the key for actually getting the things we want, not just making plans and then not doing them.
In essence: do everything you can to prevent putting a zero on the board.
Maybe you want to be a reader and decide your goal is you’re going to read 50 pages a day. But then you sleep through your alarm and your boss insists you join that client dinner after work and suddenly your intended time to sit down to read 50 pages has vanished.
Or maybe you want to be healthy and proclaim a goal of working out for 45 minutes every day. And then you get a surprise visit from your in-laws on the same day there’s a leak in the shower and guess who no longer has 45 spare minutes that day.
The inclination can be to throw in the towel and just say oh well, not today. But we all know that missing one day makes it so much easier to miss another day. And then another day. And another day. And soon you can’t quite remember what that goal even was…
So what if the idea were to simply not put a zero on the board? What if you read 5 pages? Or just did 3 sets of 10 jumping jacks? Maybe it’s not the ideal 50 pages or 45-minute workout…but it is SOMETHING toward the future you want.
When I was reminded of this (it’s been a while since I last read Atomic Habits…), I felt my breath expand and suddenly the things I want for myself this year feel that much closer. Because even though I sometimes doubt I can do what I’m setting out to do…I know I can put something, even just a little bit, on the board each day.
How about you?
