I propose supplanting the long tradition of New Year’s resolutions in January. Make resolutions at the start of the actual new year – in September.
Let’s face it. Not a lot changes between December 31 and January 1. It’s a solar new year that has no correlation to any actual change in our day-to-day lives. On the other hand, we’re shot out of a cannon on the morning after Labor Day. School starts, college gets serious, work swings into high gear, and lazy days at the beach fade into the past.
One of the top five traditional New Year’s resolutions is to get organized. Everyone has a different definition of what it means to “get organized”, so I’ll supply one for the September new year. Time is ticking away furiously until December, when the next slowdown hits as the holidays arrive, so come up with a plan to manage your time wisely over the next three months.
Time is the most precious resource in the Fall because life converges into a maelstrom of activity and overlapping obligations. So sit down and figure out the following three things.
First, what are your hopes and dreams for the upcoming twelve months? Another way to ask the question is, what are your long-term goals. Long-term goals should be the compass that guides your steps always, and they’re especially important when time is moving at warp speed and what doesn’t happen today may not happen until who knows when.
Second, what do you want to accomplish in the next three months? Do you need to start saving for the holidays? Are you preparing for the SATs? Does your company have goals that need to be met by the end of the fiscal year? Carve out time to plan how you’re going to make these things happen. It’s a truism that 15 minutes of planning a day saves one hour of wasted time each day. Imagine what one evening of planning can do for you, and then get to it!
Finally, realize you don’t have time for everything. You have to be ruthless about what you can reasonably accomplish, what’s truly important to you, and how much time you can devote to any individual endeavor. Now is the time to check your gut. Follow your bliss, put the rest aside, and by December you won’t have to worry about January resolutions. You’ll have plenty of accomplishments to toast on New Year’s Eve.