So here we are, it’s almost halfway through January and everyone is either in full fledged resolution mode or stressing out about the fact that they haven’t even started. To be honest with you, I’m completely guilty of being in that second category. I have a million ideas swirling around in my head about things I want to improve on, and an overarching goal of making 2017 amazing, yet I haven’t made much headway. BUT, that’s the entire point of this post: determining your goals for 2017 and making an action plan to achieve them.
Forget “resolutions.” As far as I’m concerned, I would rather focus on results. And the only way to get results is to make a plan and stick to it. Luckily, making plans is my forte, so I’m sharing my personal goals and plans to achieve them. It seems that most people focus their “resolutions” on getting healthier, being happier, being more productive, and basically just getting their shit together. Since my goals fall into all of those categories, I’m hoping my personal plans can be applied to your own goals!
In my opinion, the reason people don’t stick to their resolutions is because there is a disconnect between the resolution itself and the result they want to achieve. If your resolution is to “get healthy” well, that’s also technically also a result, so how are you going to achieve it? You’re probably like, “Duh, I’m going to work out and eat healthier and stop drinking all weekend.” Okay great, that’s a start.. But when are you going to work out and where? What kinds of food and meals will yield healthier eating habits and how will you stick to that? And what is really going to stop you from hitting up happy hour on Friday at 5pm on the dot? Feeling overwhelmed yet? I already want to give up and it’s not even my own resolution. Sheesh.
Unfortunately, all of the factors that go into a resolution as simple as “getting healthy” are so overwhelming that it leads most people to throw in the towel before they even start. But the answer to this problem, my friends, is to make a plan. This is an outline of my personal goals for 2017 and the results that I want to achieve, and each post for the remainder of January and all of February will outline them in more detail with ways to execute them.
So that brings me to Resolutions vs. Results. Taking the time to understand your goals and the results you want to achieve is crucial. If you want to get healthier, well why? Aside from the fact that it’s good for you to be healthy, what factors do you focus on? For example, maybe you feel like you’re always sluggish, lazy and unmotivated so you want to get into a workout routine. Maybe your stomach gets upset a lot more than it used to and you eat out a lot, so you want to implement more healthy foods into your diet and save money in the process. Figuring out your WHY for what you want to improve on will not only help motivate you toward success, but also will help you to develop the right action plan.
My number one advice is to make a note on your phone that includes 3 categories: Improves, Feel Goods, Feel Bads. For a week or so (like, until next week’s blog post), write down everything that pops into your head throughout the day that makes you feel good, feel bad, or that you want to improve on. This is the easiest way to get all of your thoughts into one place. Here’s my list to help get you started.
The main objective of this exercise is to figure out what’s important to you and how your lifestyle makes you feel without having to sit down and make goals right off the bat. It’s all about being cognizant of what your daily habits are, what little nagging thoughts you have about wanting to be better about certain things, and what you do daily that makes you feel like crap so that you can transform it all into positive results.
Like I said, I’m going to be spending the rest of January and February with a new post every Thursday outlining some ways to reach your own goals and start 2017 off on the right foot. I’m a firm believer that once you have a solid schedule, workout plan, meal plan regimen, and a decluttered inbox, you’ll have so much more free time to pursue all of the awesome things in your “feel goods” category. Here’s a quick overview so you won’t miss anything!
1. Setting up your calendar for success. Once you figure out what your goals are and what results you’re working toward, it’s time to put that dusty old calendar app to use. Some people are really into physical planners and writing things down, others like to have everything accessible digitally on their phone. Whatever method you prefer, I’m diving into detail about how to set your schedule up in a way that will help you stick to your new routine and your “Improves” list. I’ll also add a monthly worksheet at the end of this post to help you really focus on your goals and remember WHY you want to achieve them.
2. Putting in work(outs). If getting fit and healthy is one of your goals (which it should be because duh, that’s good for you) then you won’t want to miss this post! I’ll be outlining ways to incorporate workouts into your schedule, non-traditional workout classes, and how to find free workouts in your city.
3. Planning your meals like a pro. This is something that I’ve gotten a ton of requests for, so I’m happy to share my tips and tricks for planning your grocery trips and weekly meals. Side bonus: my method will help save you cash money while keeping your new healthy diet in check. Chaching.
4. Lunch and learn. Going out for lunch every day is a surefire way to waste a ton of money and isn’t exactly a healthy option. As a follow up to your new awesome grocery shopping/meal planning skills, this post will help you to plan lunches that are healthy and satisfying. I’m adding a little personal twist to it, so you can use that time you used to spend going out to grab lunch for something more productive!
5. Digital cleanse. Yes I know, you probably think this is the typical “detox from your social media” type thing, but it’s so much more than that. Everyone KNOWS that social media is much, and so I’m definitely including tips on simplifying your feeds. But this post is more about cleansing your email inbox through decluttering, organizing and unsubscribing. And let me tell you, it feels damn good once you’re done!
As a last note – I’ll be posting the first of the Resolutions vs. Results series next Thursday, so make sure to stay tuned and have your list of Improves/Feel Goods/Feel Bads ready! Pin the image below so you can reference this post when you’re feeling off track! If there is anything you’d really love to see a post on, please leave a comment!
xx
