Why I Ditched Annual New Year’s Resolutions (+What I do Instead)

It’s pretty obvious that one year is a very long time. With 365 days to make choices, there are so many twists and turns a year can take which is why most annual new year resolutions usually don’t make it past the first 30 days.

I love what author Brian P. Moran has to say about this.

“The farther you plan into the future, the less predictability you have.”

So does that mean we shouldn’t plan and set goals?

February Resolution Fizzle

I used to make New Year’s Resolutions each year that defined what I hoped to accomplish within the coming year. Sometimes I did succeed in accomplishing one or two of the goals on my list but more often than not my strong desires on January 1 fizzled out by the time February rolled around.

While I find goal setting with a plan and deadlines extremely important for success in your life, I have to agree with the author of the 12 Week Year, Brian P. Moran that “annual goals and plans are often a barrier to high performance.”

Making annual New Year’s Resolutions that you actually achieve is uncommon. They really set you up for defeat and failure.

According to BusinessInsider.com, “80% of New Year’s Resolutions fail by February.”

It’s time to rethink the annual resolution and take a new approach! If you have already made your annual resolutions for the new year, you can adapt them according to the principles below and be on your way to meeting your goals and seeing big changes in your life!

13 Weeks To Sustainable Yearly Goals

I have been inspired by the book, The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks Than Others do in 12 Months by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington. I break up my yearly goals into 12-week chunks of time (don’t think quarterly here – it’s entirely different), with the thirteenth week set aside for evaluating achievement and planning for the next 12-week chunk of time.

Originally I read this book to apply the principles to my businesses but the formula is so effective that I am applying it to my personal goals as well.

Setting Achievable Goals for the New Year

Whether you are a working mom, a homeschooling mom, or an empty nester, it can work for you too! Taking 12 weeks to achieve a goal (actually three are recommended) concentrates the time spent working on the goals to force laser focus and purposely reduce distractions. Plus, overwhelm is decreased when biting off small pieces at a time. For instance, the difference between trying the AIP diet for 365 days versus 12 weeks is drastically different.

When I did the GAPS Diet to heal my Hashimoto’s, if I would have said my goal is to do this diet for one entire year, the light at the end of the tunnel would have been so far away, it would have been hard to find motivation. However, if I chose to set a goal of following the GAPS diet for 12 weeks, it would have absolutely been doable.

You will be able to see the light at the end of 12 weeks whereas you cannot when the end is 365 days away. 12 weeks for goals setting is a lot less daunting and proven to be much more successful.

The Power of Vision for Your Life

Utilizing 12-week goals instead of yearly ones is not to discount the power of longer-term vision. In fact, the vision of where you see yourself in 3,5 and 10 years is crucial to have written down in order to make your 12-week goals a smashing success. Think of it this way, the 12-week goals are the train on the tracks chugging away to the 3 year, 5 year and 10 year train stations!

A New Approach to Yearly Resolutions

This year it’s time to get rid of the annualized thinking in your in your life and start with the 12-week approach. First, write down your three, 12-week goals. Then, for each of those goals decide the daily actions you are going to take to get the end result you desire.

Don’t think you can get away without writing your goals down either!

Michael Hyatt reminds us that, “Writing down goals has been shown to result in 42% greater achievement.”

I also want you to understand how important it is for you to set your goals AND have a plan. When you fail to put into actions your goals then your goals are really just wishes.

Brian P. Moran says, “A vision without a plan is just a pipe dream.”

My Goals for the Next 12 Weeks – This is Personal!

I have 7 goals for the next 12 weeks that fall into the business, personal and family categories. Here they are:

1. Launch a successful product
2. Complete a website theme change
3. Make X amount of money in businesses
4. Post 12 new blog posts with rockin’ content
5. Eat Myers way food 5 times each week. (I always eat Paleo – this is just for some fine tuning for my health)
6. Do Pilates 3 times a week
7. Move into our new house and set up as much as possible

Are You Ready to Change the Way You Make Your Resolutions?

You’ve now read how annualized goal setting can be a dismal failure. You’ve also learned that 12-week planning is a lot more predictable with the added benefit of laser focus. It’s up to you to achieve your goals this year!

Which approach are you going to take?

If you’d like to learn more in detail how to implement a full 12-week plan, I strongly recommend reading this book. It will rock your world and put an end to your annualized thinking, transforming you from defeat to winning in what you set out to do.

“The greatest predictor of your future are your daily actions.” Brain P. Moran