Resolve to do less, so you can accomplish more.

This time of year everyone is talking about their resolutions. This is the year they are going to create the best version of who they are. They resolve to eat better, lose weight, go to church, recycle, save money, organize, get a new job, quit a bad habit-- the list goes on.
I don’t doubt a person’s resolve to do these actions. I firmly believe everyone who starts the new year with resolutions is motivated to do them. However, I believe there are two obstacles standing in the way of most people: 1) time and 2) follow through

1.       Resolutions = More Time

We are all busy. There are very few of us who are looking for things to do. We may be looking for things to do that are more fun, challenging, or exciting, but we still have the everyday things to do that take time and are less than thrilling.

However, we enter into the new year after leaving a state of euphoria. We have spent the past few weeks with family and friends, enjoying long hours of socializing and relaxing. There has been no one around the office so it has been more relaxed as the year comes to a close. The weeks have been short and the weekends longer. You are full on good food, seasonal treats and countless sweets. It is no wonder you enter the year optimistic and motivated! You feel great!

Our best intentions and motivations meet their first obstacles early and often. Our normal life kicks back into gear. You are down a few people at work and that work gets piled onto your desk. The decorations really need to get put away. The car needs work. Bills have to get paid. The cold mornings make it a little harder to get out of bed. Where did all this traffic come from? Who has time to make dinner? Sound familiar?

You probably have even more!

So, we are all pressed for time and we enter the year adding more to our plate. We are setting ourselves up for failure!

That is why I think we should resolve to do less.

Now, I don’t mean “I have so much to do already, I can’t exercise too!” Yes, you can. There are plenty of small ways you can exercise throughout the day. Exercise doesn’t have to be done at the gym for an hour a day. It can be done in small doses throughout the day, as we’ll show you.

When we make the resolutions or the goals to improve our life, we need to determine what the obstacle is that has been preventing us from doing it in the first place. Maybe it is too much time in front of the TV. Maybe it is running around to stores or picking up the kids from practice. Maybe it is the pint of ice cream that just happens to be in the freezer.

So, whatever your obstacle is, you need to resolve to do less of it. If it is watching too much TV, resolve to watch less or only do it as a reward once you have worked out. If it is eating the sweets that tempt you away from your goals, resolve not to bring them into your home or not go to places where they are sold. I think you get the point. Otherwise, your pre-resolution life will slowly dominate the new life you are trying to create. Once you restructure your time there is only one more thing stopping you – follow through.

2.       Follow through

This is where we come in!

We may have some creative ways to budget your time better over the coming months, but where we really can help is the follow through.

We have stated that people often set vague goals – lose weight, exercise more, eat less, eat better, pray and reflect more,  save more money, spend less money, help the Earth, be kinder, etc.

All of these are noble pursuits, but are lacking the detail and the action steps to make it possible.

We have taken all of these big goals mentioned above and broken them down into small actions that can be accomplished daily. Over a period of time you will see results as you work toward your goal one day at a time, always mindful of the larger goal.

Resolve to follow us so you can follow through.

What are you resolving to do more of, or less, of this year?

.:MF