Set Yourself Up for Success in 2020!
As we start a new year, maybe you’ve thought about resolutions. Are any of them different than they were last year, or five years ago? Even ten years ago? What does that say about the strength of resolutions?
Instead, put aside resolutions and set achievable goals that you track in a planner!
No More Missed Events
Are you terrible about missing birthdays and other important dates? Get yourself a day planner, and start out by entering in every birthday, anniversary and pre-planned event (like weddings) that you can think of. Then take small post-it notes, and about 2 weeks before each event, put a post-it on that week with what you need to accomplish: Purchase and send Susie’s Birthday Gift. When it is done, you toss the post-it and all you have left is a reminder on Susie’s actual birthday to give her a call or send her a facebook message or text--this year you can leave out that "oh, your gift will be coming soon!" part.
Eating Goals
If you want to eat better, do it slowly to help guarantee success. Try making one small change every couple of weeks. Maybe the first two weeks, you start having a Meatless Monday, then the second two weeks, you continue Meatless Monday but add in limiting your eating window (intermittent fasting) to 10 hours per day, then the next two weeks, you narrow the window further to 8 hours. Whatever your eating goals are, taking small steps makes it seem not as daunting as cutting out meat, sugar, gluten and eating after 7 pm all at once.
Exercise Goals
If your goal is to run a 5k or 10k, there are plenty of plans out there that will help you achieve that. To find a plan that best suits your needs, just google “couch to 5k” or “couch to 10k” to find a plan that best suits your needs.
In exercise, as in many things, having a buddy to keep you accountable goes a long way toward your success. Find someone with similar goals and ask them to exercise with you, if they are nearby, or check in daily with them to compare notes if it is a long-distance buddy.
Clean-Up Goals
Your planner comes in handy here, as well. Think of all the areas you want to clean out. Depending on the size of each area, assign them to a weekend or evening. For instance, on January 8 after work, you might clear out your sock drawer, getting rid of all socks with holes or missing mates. January 10, maybe you clean out your bathroom cupboards. The next weekend, on the 18 and 19, you might ransack your whole kitchen over two days, getting rid of the dull potato peelers and rusted whisks clogging your drawers, but also reorganizing so that it takes no time at all to assemble your juicer or Ninja, rather than having to search for parts.
Hobby or Project Goals
Is it your goal to learn a new skill or language in 2020? Break this down into steps and get them on your calendar.
- Decide how your will learn, via an on-line class, or in-person class.
- Research the class options for your preferred method
- Ask around to see if a friend wants to learn with you. Having someone to ask questions of, and just to hold you accountable makes the process easier and friendlier, but if meeting new people is a side-goal, perhaps it is best to go it alone.
- Sign up for your chosen class
- Get your class times on your planner. If your class is on-line and done at your own pace, pick a regular day and time, so that you have the time carved out from the start.
- Start learning!
Health Goals
While many of the above goals improve your health, you might have specific goals directed at a particular area of your health. For instance, you might decide to get 8 hours of sleep 5 nights per week, minimum. For this, the best thing is to just begin, but putting a star or some other indication on your planner pages of every night you meet your goal can make it easy to look back and see how you're progressing.
Another great health goal is to protect your skin from sun damage by committing to wear a sunscreen every day. For this, we recommend switching out your usual finishing powder and using BRUSH ON BLOCK® Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 instead. And don't forget our Protective Lip Oil SPF 32 for your sensitive lips. Easily make them part of your routine...wash your face, brush your teeth, Brush On Block!
Wishing you a happy and successful 2020!
