4 New Year’s Resolutions that I Don’t Hate

I don’t do New Year’s resolutions. Like so many of you, I don’t enjoy setting myself up for failure. And, believe me, New Year’s resolutions have always been a recipe for failure for me.

“But, Amelia, if you don’t do them, how do you know New Year’s resolutions are a recipe for failure?” Oh, dear reader, I say this because I know from experience. You see, I didn’t always have a moratorium on ye olde Day One resolution.

Why I Hate (Most) New Year’s Resolutions

I used to make them, and break them. Every time. From weight loss to blogging to getting out of a job I hated to starting my own business – I said I’d do (or quit) it all. And I did. But not when I said it, and not how I said it. In fact, I’m pretty sure every New Year’s resolution I’ve ever made actually slowed me down and stood in the way of those goals. Why? Because I was too focused on the shame of failing to pick myself up, dust myself off, and try again (anyone else hearing Aaliyah right about now? Just me? Cool).

If I had just said, “I have a few goals. Here they are. Let’s take a look at some small and meaningful steps I can take to achieve them,” I would’ve been on the right track. With that mindset, I could’ve set out and started checking tasks off of lists (something I love to do). I could’ve started ticking off the milestones, absorbing the setbacks, and making serious progress.

Instead, I ate the tacos (and, really, you should always eat the tacos), stayed at the hated job, put off updating my résumé… And I hated myself for it all. I said, “Well, now you’ve screwed it all up, so let’s screw it up some more.”

A Better Approach to Resolutions (They’re not Just for the New Year Anymore)

“Okay, great, but if New Year’s resolutions are such a train wreck, why are you writing a blog about them?” I’ll tell you why. It was never the actual concept of a New Year’s resolution that tripped me up. It was the all-or-nothing way I went about them. I was setting these huge resolutions that I was bound to fail.

I don’t recommend it — not if you’re interested in turning over a new leaf, becoming a better version of yourself, running a better business, or improving yourself and your business in any other meaningful way. Instead, let’s talk about how you can do that in a healthy, sustainable, achievable way. Here are a few resolutions (New Year’s or otherwise) that I can get behind for anyone in 2020.

1. “This year, I will set SMART goals.”

This is kind of the inception of resolutions — a resolution to make resolutions. But I still like it. This year, you can set as many or few goals as you want, but make them all SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time bound). If you’re thinking of something you want to do, don’t just say, “I want to grow my business.” Say something like, “I want to land five new clients by the end of Q2.” As you start to formulate your goals for the year, stick to your resolution by coming back to that handy acronym and testing each goal against it.

2. “I’ll put everything in my calendar”

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten myself in trouble when I forgot to put something in my calendar. I get reminders for most of my external appointments. My dentist, chiropractor, and hair stylist will all call or text me a day or two before I’m scheduled to see them.

But what happens when I get that text, check it against my work calendar, and I find out I’ve double-booked myself with a client? And now my dentist/chiropractor/stylist is booked until next month. Either I put off an important (or at least important to me) self-care appointment, or I call my client and tell them that I wasn’t professional enough to run my calendar like an adult…

We all know which of these pills we’d swallow, but why put yourself in the position to make the choice in the first place? Just put everything in your calendar. All of it. As soon as you make the commitment, get your phone out and add that event. I’ve been doing this since I started Valkyrie, and I can tell you, it’s a massive relief.

3. “I’ll take time to work on my business, not just in it.”

If you’ve been keeping up with this blog, you know I took a bit of a hiatus from posting. Why? Well, not for any particularly good reason.

I just put at the bottom of my to-do list because I was busy working on content for my clients. I was working in my business, and that was great. I definitely don’t encourage de-prioritizing your clients. BUT, you should definitely set some time aside each week (even each day, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves) to work on your business. Spend that time creating and scheduling social posts.

Write blog posts. Do some cleanup work on your website. Choose something to work on every week. Put it in your calendar. You’ll thank me later.

4. “I’ll find an acountabili-buddy”

If you have trouble holding yourself accountable and doing the not-so-fun tasks for your business on your own, why not delegate a little? Resolve to find a friend who’ll help you stay on track. Call (or text) them and ask them to be your accountabili-buddy.

Then set up regular check-ins. Have them text you once a week and ask if you’ve been blogging, posting to social, etc. And do the same for them. Be their accountability partner for something they care about. The two of you can help each other reach those SMART goals this year.

Need help sticking to your marketing resolutions this year? Get in touch! I’m here to help you tell your story and build meaningful relationships with your prospects and clients. If you’re ready to take your content to the next level in 2020, drop me a line.