New Year's Resolutions On Crack

I was talking to a good friend of mine about this project. She expressed doubt she could come up with 100 things—and if she could they’d be small things.

YES!

For me, that’s the point. I suppose for anyone who writes a list, the point of the list has to be of their own making. So, for me the point is getting small things done. Not even small exciting things, just things I either normally wouldn’t do or things I always put off.

Personally, I have a hard time getting done everything I want to get done. And there are things I really should do that I put off indefinitely. I am a seasoned procrastinator. The point of this list for me is twofold: list everything I want to accomplish (I mean, who doesn’t love a list?) and then set about accomplishing small, seemingly unimportant things. By having a list of specific goals, I am more likely to achieve or participate in these things.

For me, the point of the list is not to live this amazingly wild and crazy carpe diem life, it’s about becoming more efficient, more productive and getting in the habit of doing what needs to be done when it needs to be done. I need to do this. It’s one of those adult skills that comes in really handy. And, the only way to change the way you do something in your life, is to slowly work towards changing your life. Diets don’t work and New Year’s Resolutions don’t work not just because they’re an abstract idea that isn’t really achievable on a more practical plane, but also because they aren’t permanent. In order to live a healthier existence and lose weight, you have to do it for the rest of your life not for a couple months. Otherwise, the weight comes back and the sense of failure sets in.

I think of my list like steps towards my goal of being more productive and not being afraid to do things I want to do. Each item on that list is set forth to improve my life in some way—whether its as important as helping a nonprofit organization or as small as backing up my computer files—each thing is a step in a better direction.

So, do you have some things you’d like to improve in your life? A few New Year’s Resolutions—break it down into 100 steps to complete in 365 days. As this friend said, “it’s like your New Year’s Resolutions on crack.” And, perhaps it is. But, it’s some really good crack.