Making Resolutions a Reality: Create a Timeline!

Today's tip for helping you make your resolutions a reality comes from the "have a plan" school of thought.  Innovative, right?  Look, this isn't rocket science, but you've got to actually do it.  I'm going to keep reminding you of what you ought to be doing, and perhaps it will help keep you honest.  So today's tip:  develop a timeline for each resolution.

We're almost two weeks into the new year.  You should have already formed your resolutions and started working on them, but one area that people leave out all the time is a developmental timeline for the goal.  Your timeline doesn't have to be set in stone, but it should provide you with a sense of pace, a way to judge your progress.

Let's say you want to lose thirty pounds and keep it off in 2009.  Developing a timeline doesn't mean simply breaking down the weight into smaller increments and pacing it out, i.e. two pounds a week for 15 weeks (although this could be part of the timeline).  Break down all the parts of your plan and put it all on the timeline.  Every step you put on the timeline gives you a greater level of directed action.  It can also help you feel less overwhelmed because you're making the larger goal into smaller, easier pieces.  Let's use the weight loss example again:

1. Meet with my doctor and get a check-up within the first two weeks of '09.  Ask him/her about what an appropriate weight for me should be.
2. Jan. 2:  Clean up the kitchen table or dinner table area so that I have a dedicated space for eating.  No more eating at the coffee table or at my desk, etc.
3. Jan. 3:  Do a "clean sweep" of my kitchen and pantry.  Remove all the true junk food.
4. Meet with a nutritionist or dietician by January 14.  Discuss dietary needs for my age and lifestyle.
5. Meet with a physical trainer or exercise trainer by Jan 21 to discuss ways that I can increase my strength, flexibility, and level of activity. 
6. Jan. 30:  Donate all my clothes that are too loose.  Having them around as a reminder that I can go back to them is no good!  Repeat this step at the end of each month.

Now this is a simplified example of what I'm talking about, but hopefully you get a sense of what I'm doing.  Part of the plan is creating benchmarks for getting things done, but part of it is also about creating ways to purposefully show yourself that you're changing your behavior.  If you do this well, you get to keep having "success" on a more consistent basis by getting things done.  It's not just about losing the weight; it's about changing your behavior, so creating opportunities to show yourself that you are doing so is important.

You can apply this to plenty of other growth areas besides weight loss.  Whatever your resolutions are about, there should be a way to create a timeline for yourself that breaks downt the goal into tasks and creates a level of accountability for yourself in getting them done.  The timeline can change.  That's okay.  The key is that you're making the effort to get organized and have a thoughtful plan of attack.