Comments on: Why Our New Year’s Resolutions Are Doomed Before We Even Begin – And What We Can Do About It

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By: How To Stick To Your Goals During The Holidays

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[...] are broken in the first two weeks? Some people will stick with their resolutions, while asome New Year’s resolutions are doomed to failure.The holidays are a time for friends, family and celebration – but they can wreak havoc on [...]

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By: Busby SEO Test

Busby SEO Test — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 12:53:42 +0000

Hi Sid. I agree with you. I tried working around that by learning only those where I intend to teach or conduct a seminar later on. It has made the learning experience more targeted.

By: Sid Savara

Sid Savara — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 04:07:19 +0000

Hi Andre,
That's wonderful. I agree that sitting at a computer, I could waste hours
every day if I wanted to. Just like you, I try and batch my online reading
- though I'm not yet at once a week =)

"freed up so much time that for the first couple of days, I sometimes didn't
know what to do with myself"

This is a point Tim Ferris brings up in the Four Hour Work Week as well -
initially it is hard to pull away from being "busy" (checking email, reading
online, etc etc) but perhaps what is even more difficult is once we pull
away from it, finding activities that are meaningful and enriching to fill
that time.

By: Sid Savara

Sid Savara — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 04:03:20 +0000

Hi Ari,
Tim Ferris was absolutely everywhere online when his book came out - it
seemed like half the blogs I read had a review!

I definitely agree - why not have spring resolutions, winter resolutions?
;)

I think *one* benefit of having a new year's resolution though is people
seem to be more supportive of life changes during January, specifically for
that reason - everyone's doing it. On the other hand, imagine trying to
start a diet during Thanksgiving - socially less acceptable, and surely
pulled in different directions by competing social/family demands.

By: Sid Savara

Sid Savara — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 04:01:12 +0000

Hi Busby,
You're right, I can understand many people wish they had more time to keep
up with their field and stay up to date with new developments. I think
technical fields such as software development in particular have a problem
with too much information – not only is tons of information produced, but
the knowledge gained goes out of date so quickly. If I don't apply it, in 6
months it's obsolete – at which point I wonder, why did I waste any time
reading about it? =)

By: Andre Kibbe

Andre Kibbe — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:33:56 +0000

"I can hear the question now - if it’s on your @Someday list and it never gets done, what’s the point? The point is, if you don’t explicitly decide what is on your @Someday list, you implicitly put everything you aren’t actively working on on it."

Very true. Knowing the difference between things that aren't worth thinking about now and things that aren't worth thinking about at all is a crucial skill. The @Someday list gives you a placeholder to keep potential commitments conscious.

This is why "dissolutions" are so important. When we take on a new project, we don't do so in a vacuum. We need to not only want to do something, but want it enough to not to something else. I found myself suffering from time famine until I did an activity analysis and realized how much gratuitous reading I was indulging in during the week, so I made a rule to batch all of my discretionary reading for Sunday. No books, magazines, blogs, etc. That one dissolution freed up so much time that for the first couple of days, I sometimes didn't know what to do with myself.

If you're going to make a resolution, try to define when and where working on it needs to happen, then see what habitual activities you can prune to make space for it.

By: Ari Herzog

Ari Herzog — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 06:24:32 +0000

I haven't read Tim Ferris' book but I've heard enough people talk about it, I already know what it's about. Your reference to whatever on page 84 is something I read on Dan Schawbel's blog several months ago relating to the concept of “social proof.” If enough people talk about something, you hear it, too. Hence, goodbye Techcrunch (though I hear Techcrunch UK is better).

But to the heart of your post: What is a new year's resolution in the first place and why must you make one? There was an article at the Brazen Careerist in the final days of December with the takeaway that you can make a resolution any day of the year. But do you?

By: Busby SEO Test

Busby SEO Test — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 22:07:45 +0000

Great thoughts there Sid. It reminds me of the “no thank you” and “not-to-do” list discussed by John Maxwell and Stephen Covey in some of their books. Other themes that I noticed people mention, even though not in their blogs, is to get their financial position in better shape. On your “dissolution” list. I know a lot of folks would love to do #2 if they are only better in managing time/commitments.