Catherine Dilts
  • About Catherine
  • Catherine Dilts - Blog
  • Rose Creek
  • Short Stories
  • Annie's Fiction
  • Survive Or Die
  • Rock Shop Mystery Series
  • About Catherine
  • Catherine Dilts - Blog
  • Rose Creek
  • Short Stories
  • Annie's Fiction
  • Survive Or Die
  • Rock Shop Mystery Series
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

News 

12/29/2015 3 Comments

Achieving New Year’s Resolutions

Picture
Defining the New Year’s Resolution: 
In this context, a resolution is a firm decision to do, or to not do, something specific. It’s a goal. The timeframe spans one calendar year, in this case, 2016.
 
Simple. You set a goal and give yourself a year in which to accomplish the task. Then why do so many New Year’s Resolutions fall by the wayside, often within the first month or two?
 
Like any goal, you need to be able to measure a resolution. How will you know you’ve completed your goal if you can’t quantify the results?
 
Example – the ubiquitous resolution to lose five pounds.
 
Let’s say you lose two pounds in January, then gain three in February. Lose one in March. Gain two in April. Lose two in May. Gain it back in June. You have achieved your goal. You lost five pounds in 2016. In reality, you gained weight. A better resolution would be to attain a specific weight.
 
Example – you resolve to retire.
 
I worked with a gentleman who planned to retire in two years. He continued to work for another seven years, operating the entire time under the same clearly stated goal. If he had declared he was going to retire in March of 2014, he would have had a specific endpoint instead of constantly shifting it further into the future.
 
Quantifying your resolution does not increase the pressure to achieve your goal. It sets parameters that let you know whether you are taking the correct actions to achieve your goal.
 
In the weight loss example, with a specific weight goal, you know if you are approaching success, or letting it slip away. You might be motivated to go on a diet or start an exercise class. In the retirement example, you might research your anticipated benefits (pension, Social Security, 401K savings) and adjust your spending and saving to achieve a monetary goal before hitting your planned retirement date.
 
For writers, it is easy to quantify some goals.  “Write more” means nothing. Write two pages a day, or write ten hours a week, can be measured and tracked. Complete a short story, or a novel, in 2016 is a specific goal, but setting milestone dates will improve your chances for success. Draft short story by end of March. Polish short story by end of July. Submit short story by end of September.
 
Keep a calendar. I think of my spreadsheet as my time sheet, just as though I am tracking job hours. That’s what works for me – tracking time. Other writers track the number of pages or words they have written per day. I can tell at a glance if I am falling short of my monthly time goal.
 
With each resolution, you may find you need to make other adjustments in your life. Losing five pounds might require giving up viewing a television program to make time to train for your first 5K race. Retiring by a certain date might mean you stop eating out as often, or you continue driving your late model car, as you save for retirement.
 
Writing goals require sacrifices, too. If you have a job and family, the challenge to put in a specific number of hours writing might mean you miss out on some leisure activities, or some sleep.
 
2015 presented many challenges that knocked me off my typical schedule. One was a laptop crash. Others involved family. While some issues were beyond my control, others were not. I could see myself getting off track. The timesheet does not lie.
 
My writing resolutions for 2016? Write 40 hours a month. Complete two short stories. Complete a novel (that is near completion). Draft a new novel. Read more outside my genre. Read or re-read more classics.
 
I know I am capable of achieving my goals. The trick will be staying the course through the storms of life.
 
Rather than making silly declarations during the New Years celebration, take the time to contemplate where you are, and where you want to be in another year. Consider the little steps that will bring you closer to your goal. Write them down. Break them down into verifiable chunks of measurable sub-goals. Revisit your 2016 New Years Resolutions once a quarter.

I wish you success as you strive to achieve your goals! And may you have a Productive New Year!
 


3 Comments
Liesa Malik link
12/30/2015 06:25:03 am

Great notes, Catherine! On the "reading" side of things, last year I wrote a specific list of titles to read and moved much farther along my resolution to read more than I have when I said I wanted to read 24 books in a year. Specificity needs to be my byword for 2016. Thanks.

Reply
Catherine Dilts
12/30/2015 06:36:04 am

Liesa, that's a great idea. I have a mental list of Must-Read books, but writing them down might ensure I actually get around to reading them.

Reply
Maddy link
12/31/2015 07:20:34 am

I commend your self-control and your productivity! You're right about the measurable goals but I'm leery about the spreadsheet but that's mainly due to a glitch - XLS equals computer crash. You've certainly given me something to mull over for the next 18 hours.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Subscribe to this blog:

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly