Ditch the New Year’s Resolutions for a list of Yearly Accomplishments
As 2022 comes to a close…How are your New Year’s Resolutions holding up?
Did you even write them down so that you could track them…or did you swear you’d remember them?
Chances are, by now, most of them have fallen by the wayside…or they are at least not as first and foremost in your mind as they were on January 1st. But that’s okay; we’ve all been there, and we ALL start with the absolute best of intentions, but then life gets in the way. I’m no different.
I am a planner by nature and used to spend literally HOURS planning out my new year’s resolutions for the coming year. I started a week or two before the end of the year, as I REALLY put a lot of thought into them.
I had separate categories of resolutions; personal, work, and hobby related, so I typed up details resolutions and action steps and even posted them to Facebook once or twice. They usually included the standard of eating better, exercising more, saving money, focusing on my career, etc. You know the list; I bet you’ve made those same resolutions.
Then came March, and like most of us, I had done no better staying on track with my resolutions than anyone else. Sometimes I’d review them mid-year and make a valiant attempt to get back on track with them…but by December, I’d still have to admit I’d largely fallen short on almost every one of them.
Several years ago, in 2016, I decided to do something different. I honestly do not even remember where I first saw it now, but somewhere I saw someone post about keeping a yearly “Accomplishments list” of the things they had accomplished that year. They lumped ALL accomplishments (personal, family, professional) into one list, added to it throughout the year, and reviewed it regularly. I fell in love with that concept and adopted it for myself.
It’s not much, but it sure makes me feel good to be able to add something to that list.
My list is a mix of personal and professional accomplishments, some big and some small. When I have had a rough day, reviewing this list is a nice little pick me up and a reminder that not all days are bad. My list is a simple numbered list with no special fonts, colors, or formatting.
The Accomplishments list is what YOU make of it….Celebrate YOU!
Below you’ll find a picture of my completed 2018 Accomplishments list…these may not seem like big victories to YOU…but they all brought a smile to my face at some time during the year.
I keep my list in my personal planner notebook in Microsoft OneNote, and it serves me well as I can access it on any device I have handy. The key is making it quick and easy to access; you can do it online in whatever app suits you or even use a paper notebook you can add to throughout the year; the choice is yours, do what works for YOU.
I try and make sure to review my list at least monthly to add new things to it. You don’t have to share them with anyone if you don’t want to. The point is that it’s more important than ever to track what accomplishments you DO have, even if they seem small.
So, if you are one of the many Americans who struggle with staying on track with the annual list of New Year’s Resolutions, I’d encourage you to ditch that list of resolutions and instead start a list of accomplishments for the year.
My 2023 accomplishments list is already started and ready for me to add to, and I’m hoping it will be the best one yet. Here’s a look at this year’s accomplishments list, which is just waiting to be filled in!
I have to admit I wasn’t very diligent in updating my list in 2022, so for 2023, I have set myself a reminder during my Sunday night weekly planning time to review my list and update it accordingly.
After all, if YOU don’t celebrate yourself…who will? I also keep a monthly calendar for each month where I track one positive thing that happened each day, and reviewing that will help me with the accomplishments list.
Best wishes from my family to yours for a safe and Happy New Year and a prosperous and happy year in 2023!
**Author’s Note: This is an updated version of an article I first wrote back in 2017 called “Instead of Keeping a List of New Year’s Resolutions, Keep a List of Accomplishments.” I thought it was time for an update and refresh, as while much has changed in the last five years, this is a practice I still dearly treasure.
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