Do New Year’s Resolutions Matter?
It’s January, and I know a lot of you are figuring out your goals for the year and how you want to feel in 2017. I know I am.
But there are a ton of different ways to go about choosing goals, and obviously, the most popular way is to make new year’s resolutions.
This time of year, there seems to be an equal number of people saying resolutions are good as there are people saying they’re bad.
So what are you supposed to do? Do new year’s resolutions matter?
Watch this video to learn whether or not you should make new year’s resolutions.
The video transcript is below for your convenience.
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Mentioned In This Video
- 2017 Edited Year Planners
- SMART Goals Planning Worksheet (part of the Editor’s Toolkit)
- The 12 Week Year
Video Transcript
Hey there! I’m Sage Grayson, a former book editor turned life coach. I help ambitious career women edit their habits, routines, and mindsets to balance their happiness at work and home.
I’m a Life Editor…and so are you!
Today, we’re going to answer the question, “Do new year’s resolutions matter?” Let’s go!
It’s January, and I know a lot of you are figuring out your goals for the year and how you want to feel in 2017. I know I am.
But there are a ton of different ways to go about choosing goals, and obviously, the most popular way new year’s resolutions.
This time of year, there seems to be an equal number of people saying resolutions are good as there are people saying they’re bad.
So what are you supposed to do? Do new year’s resolutions matter?
Have you met me?
Seriously, even if you’ve been following me for a short period of time, you know I’m an intense Type A personality who thrives on goal setting and deadlines.
If you’re watching this, then you’re attracted systems and plans to help you become the ideal version of yourself. Even if you’re more easy going than me, you see the value of deciding what you want and working to achieve it.
YES! New year’s resolutions matter, and as your coach, I highly recommend making new year’s resolutions.
Here’s why: January is a universally acknowledged beginning.
It’s the first month of the year, and in our society that brings along feelings of wanting a fresh start. It’s like a blank sheet of paper just waiting to be written on.
Don’t waste the energy of a beginning. People get much more accomplished in the newness of January than they do in the holiday-stress-filled December.
It’s just like how office workers are more productive at 9:00 am than they are at 5:00 pm when they’re racing out the door to catch the train. This is also why you should front load your work day with your most important tasks.
I’ll say it again, don’t waste the energy of a beginning.
If the idea of making new year’s resolutions kind of scares you, then I’ve got 2 simple ways to help you whether you want to take a relaxed approach or a high-intensity approach.
1. Choose a Word of the Year.
This is an exercise I do with my all clients and you can check out the Word of the Year worksheet in the Edited Year Planners.
Instead of mapping out detailed project plans for every area of your life, just choose a single word to guide you in 2017.
Then whenever you have a decision to make, you make a choice that aligns with your word.
For instance, let’s say your word is “Freedom.”
When you consider your job, does it give you a sense of freedom? Do you have freedom in your diet? Do the people you hang around with add to your sense of freedom?
Or do those things make you feel trapped or stifled? Once you know whether an aspect of your life is supporting your word, then you can make edits to fix it.
Think about how you want to feel this year and choose a single word to be your guide.
2. Create SMART Goals or a 12 Week Year.
OK, let’s say you want a little bit more direction. Choose 1-5 major goals for yourself and then rewrite them as SMART Goals.
By getting super specific, you make it easier to determine whether you’re meeting your new year’s resolutions or not.
Vague goals get vague results.
SMART stand for Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-limited. I’ll link below this video to my free SMART Goals Planning Worksheet that you can find in the Editor’s Toolkit.
Another idea is to do a 12 Week Year, based on the book by the same name. Instead of giving yourself a year to reach your goals, you crunch your plans down into just 12 weeks.
It’s not quarterly planning. It’s reducing your deadlines so you always have an underlying sense of urgency.
I’ve been doing 12 Week Year plans for about 4 calendar years now, and it’s been instrumental in helping me break the 6-figure mark, host live retreats, and sell out my products and services.
It’s up to you whether you want a simple new year’s resolution like a word of the year or an intense one with SMART Goals or a 12 Week Year.
But the important thing is to make your resolutions!
The energy of a beginning only last so long, and I guarantee you won’t be feeling so excited about your goals in a few months. Make progress now.
If you like this video, please be sure to hit that subscribe button on YouTube. Then come on over to SageGrayson.com and sign up for my free Editor’s Toolkit. You’ll get weekly updates from me, plus sage advice that I only share in email.
Thanks for watching. I’ll see you soon.
This post focuses on Step 3 of the Life Editing Process, Add Good Habits and Routines. For more about life editing and what it can do for you, click here.
