Check in with Your New Year's Resolutions

It’s April already, and time to check in with your New Year’s resolutions! The months are ticking by, the way they always do. Are you where you hoped to be, or do you feel like you’re behind?

Don’t Worry!

There’s still plenty of year left. The winter blahs, immediately followed by spring fever, can derail even the most focused goal-crusher. Here are a few tips to refresh and refocus your resolutions:

Make sure your resolutions matter.

Did you make it your goal to get more organized this year because you’re ready to do what it takes, or because that’s your resolution every year? All years are not created equal; some have more than the average amount of stress or celebration. Just because getting organized, decluttering, or losing ten pounds has been a perennial area of focus on your list doesn’t mean that this year is going to be the year. If there’s an illness in the family, a job transition, or other intense situation, it may be wise to reschedule your target date. It’s okay to take time to navigate rough waters. Be realistic about what you can achieve in a certain window of time.

Make it small!

Okay, your resolution really matters, but it also looks huge and impossible. That’s because we tend to look at a goal in its gleaming, glorious, finished state. For example, when I think of remodeling my office, I think of it as an already-done, peaceful haven of efficiency. Instead, we need to break the giant goal down into smaller and smaller actions. First, divide it into fourths. Then divide each fourth into small, specific steps. And — this is the real game-changer — put the first step on your to-do list with a deadline. Giving your tasks a deadline keeps them high priority. Don’t make eye contact with the big, scary end result. Instead, just tackle each task and move on to the next.

Make room for grace.

When you see yourself at the end of this year, on December 31st, is it more important that you’ve achieved your goal or that you’ve grown? Sometimes we get so focused on the goal, we forget the reason we wanted to set it in the first place. We want to be organized so we can be our true selves without feeling like we’re constantly behind schedule. We want to lose weight not just for our physical appearance, but so we can be disciplined and healthy–to be around for a long time with our loved ones.

Put your goals in perspective, and give yourself grace. It’s more important to grow into your full potential this year rather than checking resolutions off your list.

You still have plenty of time to make those resolutions happen this year! Taking a little time now to reevaluate, reorder and reimagine your goals will get you there in time to victory-toast your loved ones on December 31st. Regardless of how it started, cheers to your best year ever!

Where are you with your resolutions? Which ones were easy and which are a struggle? Tell me in the comments!

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