Making 2008 A Year of Change

Making a whole year of change is daunting.  That’s 12 months!  52 weeks!  365 days!  525,600 minutes!!!  It’s 22 days into 2008, how are you doing? 

Break your year down into manageable chunks; I like months or even days. 

Plan A:  MONTHLY

If you think about it, a month is about how long it takes to get tired of a new toy or a routine.  A month is also a period of time that we are psychologically comfortable with.   We budget, pay bills, read magazines, attend clubs for hobbies - all on a monthly schedule.  You can do just about anything for 30 days.

Give each month a theme.  For example:

January  Tracking.  I am tracking my spending, eating, activities/exercise, and business development.  Nothing complex (except for what’s business related).  I am just walking around with small notebooks and updating them as I go.  An indirect result is that I am eating more healthfully and spending less, however, that’s not the objective for the month as I am simply acquiring data.

February  Marriage.  Basically it’s rocking Valentine’s all month long.  That’s how we do Christmas at the house and I don’t see why Valentine’s should be any different. 

Plan B:  WEEKLY

Some folks find the monthly approach a little much, in which case the weekly plan is perfect.

Simply decide what the focus of your day will be for each day of the week.  You would be surprised at how much you may already do this.  For example, maybe Thursday is always date night or you spend Sundays with a focus on spirituality.  All you need to do is commit to ‘Workout Wednesdays’ or ‘Financial Fridays’ and incorporate it into your weekly routine.

Pitfalls

I find that people try to overhaul everything, all at once, and they end up with a giant daily ‘to do’ list that never gets done.

By giving yourself a specific focus, theme, or mission, you are able to reasonably prioritize your time and engage in habit-building which should carry over month-to-month.

It’s what businesses do, and what works for the big guys can work for you too!

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If you liked this article check out 6 Ways I Derailed My Sexy Train in 2007 or Steve Jobs is even cooler than I imagined.