Every February after I’ve settled into the cadence of the New Year, I take a brief moment to conduct a personal and professional status check on all the resolutions I set for myself at the beginning of the year. Little to my surprise, I found that several I’ve made some progress on, but others got cast aside almost as quickly as they were made.
First thing I do, is not beat myself up. I’m not alone in this issue. Research shows that sixty percent of people keep their resolutions through two weeks, but by week six, that number has dropped to only forty percent. When thinking about this data in the context of my own professional life, I see two key causes, first making too many resolutions, and the second, making unrealistic expectations.
With that in mind, instead of front loading resolutions at the beginning of the year, consider making new or updating existing resolutions as the year progresses. After many of your resolutions and goals have already fallen apart, perhaps use February to focus on health and wellness, even with a mid-month holiday that often involves sweets. My colleague Kelly McArter gives some great suggestions in her blog this month on using the winter to keep employees active and promote healthier workplaces.
So don’t get yourself down if you’ve abandoned some of your goals set out in the beginning of the year. Give yourself a break. Use this opportunity to reassess and take a simplified, yet more strategic approach, to achieving your goals throughout the remainder of the year.
