Five Common New Year’s Resolutions – and Smart Tips to Help You Achieve Them   

January is the start of the new year and, of course, synonymous with New Year’s resolutions  — also considered  by  pessimistic people as “lists of ambitious goals that will never be achieved,” since many abandon their resolutions before February 1^st .   Do not lose faith, however; these admirable objectives are definitely worth achieving – you just need a plan to help you along.

We’ve pulled together a list of common New Year’s Resolutions for professional women and some helpful tips to help you accomplish them:

Weight & Health – This is by far the number one New Year’s resolution. Every year, women across America get weighed down by an overindulgence of holiday sweets, starting as far back as Halloween, and hitting a peak between Thanksgiving and the December holidays.  So when January comes around, the notion of losing weight and getting healthy are the first to top the list of New Year’s resolutions. A noble thought, but if left too vague or attacked too strongly, the momentum to attain your aim will fizzle out.  Instead:

• • • Make Your Goals Tangible and Achievable – Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the same is true for your new body.  If you have never previously worked out, then make it your goal to exercise twice a week, not every day. If you eat unhealthily or out at restaurants too much, try small changes two to three times a week, adding in more green vegetables or packing a healthy lunch for the office.
    • Get a Workout Buddy – Accountability is key here. Signing up for a class —  and then having someone else who’s also attending it — will make you feel more obligated to go.
    • Don’t Give Up if You Miss a Week (or two) – Losing weight, working out and getting more healthy isn’t a once-a-year goal. It’s a life goal. You can jump back onto the plan at any time.
    • Leverage New Technology – New tech wearables like Fitbit are extremely useful, as they track your movements and remind you to move more (e.g. take the stairs instead of the elevator).

Time Management & Organization – Work smarter, not harder:

• • • Review — The most important order of business, in the first couple of weeks back at the office after the holidays, is to clean out the hundreds of emails that accumulated in your absence.
    • Organize — Next, you might attempt to tackle your folders and calendar.  Delete unnecessary meetings, and color-code those left based on importance.
    • Opt-Out – Take this as an opportunity to Opt-Out and Unsubscribe from emails you signed up for ten years ago that are no longer relevant to you.
    • Hit “Decline” – If you’re in corporate America, your calendar is likely filled with at least 40% of unnecessary meetings. Politely decline the meeting requests you don’t need to attend.
    • Divide and Conquer – You have a team for a reason. Distribute the work and meetings amongst the team, and set up a process to update them on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.

Be More Budget-Savvy – After making the gratifying breakthroughs of shedding a few pounds and getting a smart system in place at the office, spending less and saving more is next on the list.

A recent poll by bankrate shows that a shocking two-thirds of Americans don’t save enough for retirement. This is an alarming figure that will only create a greater gap in society with each passing year the trend continues.  Resolve to reverse this in your case:

• • • Review Your Credit Card Statement – This will list out your spending habits by type, month, location, etc. Review your statement with a sharpie and scratch-off the unnecessary purchases in preparation for the next twelve months. (Remember: $5 lattes every day are costing you close to $2K per year.)
    • Increase Your 401K Percentage – If you don’t have it to spend, you won’t  spend it. You’ve likely had a few pay increases since you initially enrolled in your 401K, so increase your saving percentage by 5-10% to help you immediately start putting away more for your retirement.
    • Set-up Auto Pay to Your Savings Account – Have your employers put $50-$250 automatically into your savings account, and the rest of your paycheck into your checking account.  Or set up a monthly auto-transfer from your checking to savings account. 

Get More Enjoyment out of Life – Traveling more, reading more, spending more time with friends and family: these are all activities that in essence will bring more joy to your life, and happy people tend to be more successful, personally and professionally.  It all has a cumulative effect.

With today’s always-on culture, it’s very difficult to put down the phone or laptop to stop checking work emails and spend more time enjoying life, but you can do it if you consciously make a plan:

• • • Turn Off Your Phone – Pick some time slots to turn off your phone: 7pm to 7am, or during dinner, lunch or breakfast, etc.
    • Book All of Your Vacation Now – The vast majority of Americans forfeit a portion of their vacation each year with companies that don’t roll-over unused paid time off. Don’t wait until November to make your vacation plans. Book all of your vacation days before February —  and if something comes up and you need more vacation days, ask for them.
    • Use Your Points – There are billions of dollars’ worth of reward points that go unused each year. Check your point status on your credit cards, airline and hotel accounts, and then use them for your vacation plans. 

Take Risks and Push Boundaries – The New Year is a great time to make a big decision that you’ve been contemplating for a while, but haven’t been able to pull the trigger on. Now is the time to take a risk and a leap of faith and try new things:

• • • Change Jobs – Are you miserable at your current job, but afraid to make a transition? Change is hard, but necessary. January and February are peak times for job-seekers. Clean up your resume and put it out there.
    • Start a New Hobby – Have you been toying with the idea of starting a business, but are too risk-averse to launch it?  Try starting small with a hobby and see what blossoms.
    • Attempt Something Daring – Try doing something completely out of your comfort zone:  skydiving, taking a writing class, improv classes, volunteering, etc.  Whatever it is, just “give it a go” and if you don’t like it, you don’t have to do it again.