We are a couple of months into the New Year. We were all ready to see 2020 go!
Now that we are in the New Year, it is time to start working on those new resolutions or goals. It might seem a little silly but writing down your goals or resolutions is a great way to narrow down your focus to one or two main goals.
Your goals are not meant to be something miraculous and life-changing (though they can be), but to take advantage of the new year with a fresh start. Maybe you want to lose weight this year, give up soda, start doing yoga or stop a bad habit like biting your nails. The options are endless.
When it comes to creating your New Years’ Resolutions, using a journal is one of the best tools at your disposal. It not only helps you decide on the resolutions but track your progress along the way.
What Do You Want to Accomplish?
Take out your journal or get one started by writing down everything you would like to accomplish this year. This might end up being a long list, which is totally fine.
Doing this exercise gives you an idea of the things you would like to work on and gets it all out of your head before you make your final decisions.
Think of big things and small things, even if you do not know that they will end up being a resolution. Think about your bad habits too.
During this time of writing down things, you may recognize something new you want to implement, older goals you have had that you want to achieve, attain healthier lifestyle habits, a change in your routine, a place you want to visit, or a problem you want to solve.
Just concentrate on writing everything down first.
What Do You Feel You Lacked in the Previous Year?
The next step is to add to your list of possibilities. Write down anything you feel like you lacked or fell behind in the previous year.
Writing down those things you were unable to complete last year can help you figure out where you want your focus to be.
Did you struggle with your finances? Did you look for a new job opportunity? Did you want to start a new business? Travel more?
Add those things to your list only if they are still important to you to accomplish and you want to give it another shot.
Flesh Out Your Ideas
Now it is time to flesh out your ideas. Get a highlighter and get ready. Go through and highlight or make a check next to anything that really speaks to you or you believe would make a positive impact in your life.
Look at the things you have on your list. You may even decide to categorize them into physical goals, financial goals, spiritual goals, and so on.
Now begin to place those things that are on your list into those categories.
Focus on the things that you feel you can do for the entire year and that will help to make you happy or healthier, or just change your life in a positive way.
Make Your Final Choices
Now, take your list of categories and choose one or two things that seem the most important to you, whether it is for your health or finances or something else. These are the ones you will focus on for the entire year.
You may decide in the New Year you would like to read 20 books in a year or lose 30 pounds. These are more concrete resolutions that you can track throughout the year.
Choosing just one or two things on your list to focus on as your New Year’s resolution does not mean you cannot accomplish other things on your list. You may decide that a couple of the things on your list can be accomplished in a shorter period of time, like starting a journal.
Track Your Progress
Make sure to write down the one or two things you decide to focus on as your New Year’s resolutions in your journal. Then use your journal to track your progress.
There are journals that have specific areas where you can track your progress daily, weekly, monthly, or annually. If you do not have a journal, just use a notebook, and make your own.
Track your progress so that you will continue working on your goals.
In fact, I am still working on my list and working on accomplishing my goals. I had a lot of them this year. Some that I did not accomplish last year that I am still working on. I started tracking all of them and now I look forward to sitting at my desk each morning to log everything in my journal.
Make your New Year’s resolutions fun and enjoyable. A New Year’s resolution should not fill you with dread each day as you work to accomplish your goals.
Happy Journaling,
Pamela
