Surprise–it’s that we won’t keep them. Past performance suggests that at best, we’ll maintain our resolve for a little while at best, and call it success. I failed mine last year–I can’t even find the list I know I posted to my closet door. I remember that it included taking my wife to Italy (check), paying off a certain debt (nope), running a personal best in the Bolder Boulder (didn’t even enter), and finishing my PhD (not even close; in fact, I had to start my dissertation over).
For years, I loved New Year’s Resolutions and was quite good at keeping them. I’ve read certain books (e.g., The Brothers Karamazov), done certain prayer disciplines, ran mountain trails, and become a regular flosser and a better budgeter because of New Years Resolutions. So, I’m forgiving my 2008 mishap and getting back to my resolution-keeping better self.
What are you resolving to do, or do differently, in 2009? How do you plan to keep the resolution? (Writing it down isn’t good enough. If you don’t have a plan for each item, you’re already done.)
One way I plan to keep mine is by letting you hold me accountable. Feel free to bug me about these in weeks to come. I won’t share all mine, but here are my Safe for Public Consumption Resolutions:
1. I won’t check email in the morning. Julie Morgestern’s advice is essential for anyone who really cares about productivity, peace, and any sort of creative, spiritual, or intellectual work. I have an 8 a.m.-ish meeting each day whose exact start time is announced by email, but I’m usually up well before then for PhD-purposes. This year, those purposes, along with other writing, won’t be thwarted by my email addiction.
2. I’ll run 2-3 times/week, mostly on trails. I’m a better man when I run, especially when I force myself to drive the mile or so to a woodsy trail, where I can run with some crunch underfoot. I think more clearly, I’m nicer, I feel more hopeful, I write more, I’m more productive before and after, and so on. I got out of the habit this year, but I’ve been back at it the last couple weeks and my legs, my heart, and my head are all happier.
3. I’ll finish the PhD. Yes I will. Seriously. I will, too. Shut up.
And you?
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