New Year’s resolutions can be demoralizing. You start the year feeling optimistic and full of hope, by March you realize that maybe you weren’t very realistic. Most of us want to lose weight, save more money and devote more of our energy to our hobbies. Instead, think of the year as 52 weeks with small goals that you can set and achieve with small and steady incremental improvements.
The weekend is a golden opportunity to get things done and plan ahead for your week. If you have already thought about the things you want to do and have made the decisions, doing the things will just become an automatic thing.
I use a combination of paper and digital tools for my planning. Every Saturday I set my weekly goals in my Bullet Journal. It might be anything from making an appointment at the salon (self- care) to taking a walk three times a week (health) or writing an article (work). If something has a clear deadline, I will add it to my Reminders app on the phone and set the time for it.
During the week, as soon as the alarm goes off, I just complete the task and tick it off as done. It helps me avoid wasting time in deciding what to tackle and when because I do it all in one go on the weekend.
A large and daunting lifestyle change, that is surprisingly manageable, is when you break it down into 52 small mini changes. Want to lose weight? Focusing on half a kilogram loss each week is doable. Always wanted to learn French? A couple of hours of study sessions can be scheduled in most of our schedules. Trying to save up for a vacation? Putting aside some cash each week in an inaccessible account is going to be easier than trying to save up the whole amount in one go.
Meal planning and prepping is another life- changer. Some weeks I will prep meals for the entire week, but every week I will plan what we will be having for lunch every day. To be honest, it is easier for me because we have Thursdays for pizza night, Tuesday is grilled chicken night and so on. One less decision means more time saved to do things I want to do. You can take this one step further by streamlining your wardrobe decisions as well. Already know that you have an important meeting on Monday? Decide on what you will be wearing on Saturday.
Delegating is another weapon in your arsenal that you might not be using. I have been using the JustClean app for months now. I schedule the pickups the day before I do laundry, so by the time it is dry, there is someone knocking at my door to magically make the creases go away. If you can have something delivered instead of driving to get it, do that too. Cleaning is just not your thing? Outsource it! Hiring someone to do it for you can be more expensive, but if you use the time to develop your skills or head to the gym the career and health benefits will be worth it in the long run.
Time is a finite resource. Use it wisely. You don’t need grand resolutions, you need smart planning, small milestones and intelligent use of your energy and you will find that you can move mountains in a year.
Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash.
