Why I made ZERO New Year's Resolutions
January is almost coming to an end so how are those New Year’s resolutions working out for you? Did you try them for a week and then go back to normal?
New Year’s resolutions are bullsh*t. Let’s just get that out of the way.
Over 30% of people have scrapped their resolutions by the 12th of January according to research from fitness app, Strava.
Resolutions are used to sell workout gear, diet supplements, and gym memberships.
Thinking about it all logically for a minute, if resolutions work, you would make them once in your life and never have to do it again. We’d all be walking around as highly productive, supremely fit superhumans.
January is arguably the worst month of the year to start anything new. You are broke from Christmas, your summer holidays feel so far away and the mornings/evenings are dark.
New Year, New Me Hun
This year, I made absolutely zero New Year’s resolutions. Why? Because they are designed to fail even before you began.
For 2020, I designed SYSTEMS.
Most resolutions are vague, fuzzy concepts that make you feel momentarily better after the excesses of Christmas. Systems are different. Systems are the nuts and bolts that help you achieve any goal.
I’ve taken this idea from my favourite book from 2019, Atomic Habits by James Clear. I’ve highlighted and underlined so much of that book, it resembles nothing of the original format.
I have gifted this book to a number of people close to me as it’s truly a book that can change how you approach your life.
You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.
Your goal is your desired outcome. Your system is the collection of daily habits that will get you there.
James Clear, Atomic Habits
How do my systems work?
I will give you a specific example, as that is how I always learn and understand things faster. First, you need to start with the goal you wish to achieve. I break my goals down into 4 distinct categories, Family, Fitness, Work, and Creative. I’ll share the breakdown of the system for one of my creative goals here.
Main Goal: I will produce and release 30 podcast episodes in 2020.
Now I break that down into achievable steps. My podcast is an interview-style with 1 guest on each. This means I need 30 guests. To secure and book 30 guests, I will probably need to outreach to between 60 and 90 people.
Your system should have daily/weekly steps that will help you achieve the overall goal.
Daily Task- Send 3 emails to potential guests to appear on the podcast.
Weekly Goal - Have 2 new guests confirmed. Your daily goal will mean you have outreached to 15 people per week, (assuming 5 day week). Out of 15, you should easily have confirmed 2 guests.
Give me another example
My fitness system is even more comprehensive as I work with a personal trainer to ensure accountability.
My Fitness System
Gym 4 times per week following a structured plan.
Log macros, sleep, weight, water consumption & energy levels daily.
Daily calorie goals.
Wear a Whoop fitness tracker that collects most of the info above.
What I still don’t get it
Systems are daily habits and tasks that help you get 1% better and closer to your overall goal each day.