You see the articles every December. How do you to create New Year’s resolutions that you can stick to? What resolutions are worth making? And should you bother to make any New Year’s resolutions at all? So here’s a different spin.
I was with a new client the other day whose main focus is time management. We spent an hour together. We talked about her habits, the things she thought went well for her and the things she felt were more difficult. We came up with a list of 10 things that would make her life run much smoother – Wow! 10 things that she truly wanted to do and could accomplish! We stepped back and looked at that list, it was kind of intimidating. We picked two things from that list that she determined would have the greatest impact on her. These were the things that would make the most difference in her day to day life and decided to work on those.
Why? Why did we throw out 8 really great ideas? First of all, we didn’t throw them out; we consciously decided to put them on the back burner. We focused instead on the things that would help her most. We talked about how focusing on one or two key things every day would help her gain control. Then, when the time is right, these key things will in turn give her momentum to work on the other ideas. We put the eight other ideas aside with dignity – they are great ideas and she knows it and she’ll come back to them when she is ready. By selecting the one or two things that truly meant the most – that resonated the strongest with her – it is much more likely that she will be able to focus her attention and intentions on the steps it will take to carry through and achieve them.
So now as you reflect back on 2005 and set your goals for 2006 pick the one or two things that will have the greatest impact on you. Create goals that are clear and specific and understand the steps you need to take you there. Then tell the world to watch out because you’re on your way.
by Carrie Greene, ACC, CarrieThru, LLC, ADHD Coaching & Organizing Services.
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