Why We Break New Year's Resolutions and How to Fix Them

Keep Your Promises!

This list is not just another New Year's Resolution list. I will also provide you a way to get that kick-start into completing your resolutions. As a former adult learning instructor on time management and self-paced learning, my experiences may be able to help you keep those commitments for longer than two weeks.

1: Figure out your learning style. No matter what the resolution is, it will require some education. Think about when you were in school or when you trained for your current job. Were you a vicious note-taker, or did you prefer tape recorders? Did you doodle while you listened, or did you read the textbooks over and over again until it sunk in? Whatever style worked for you-audio, visual, repetition, hands on - you'll need to apply it in keeping your resolution. If you are a visual person like me, you would do better with sticky notes on your computer monitor, steering wheel, or bathroom door.

2: Commit time to yourself. Get a chart out that breaks down your day in 30 minute increments. You can use the "calendar" function on Microsoft office and print out a weekly schedule, or do it by hand. Write down everything you did in the past seven days for each half-hour block. Wherever you see a half hour of time to yourself, that's the block you star-circle-underline and put "me time" in it.

This may seem impossible to you, but look around: who ISN'T busy? And of all those people, do you see self-improvement among them? The successful resolution-keepers can do it because they have devoted time to themselves. They take walks. They do hobbies. They not only find time for themselves, they create it. Whatever it is you want to do, give yourself a half-hour everyday to work towards completion. New Year's Resolutions don't happen in a day. But imagine 365 half-hour blocks to complete it.