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December 27, 2007

12 accomplishments in 12 months

I've been doing some thinking about what I want to accomplish in 2008 and I decided to put a twist on the traditional new year's resolutions. Instead of setting some broad goals like "exercise more" or "be nicer to people," I thought that focusing on one goal at a time and setting specific targets for success would help me stick to them better and hopefully habituate them. I came up with something I call "12 in 12" - 12 accomplishments in 12 months, one each month.

The rules: Before the start of each month I will pick one accomplishment to focus on for the upcoming month. I can do them in any order and even create new ones during the year; I don't even necessarily need to do all of the ones that I have come up with so far. Each project will have at least one measurable goal, even if it's a bit subjective (e.g. #5 below). At the beginning of the month I will post which task I will work on and I will post 2 progress reports during the month. At the end of the month I will write a summary of the results.

Here's my list of ideas so far. Each of them is intended to forge a new and beneficial habit, learn a new skill, or cultivate some interest that I have.

1. Get out of bed before 8:00 a.m. on 20 days.
2. Read 500 pages of one or more books and write a summary and reflection on each book.
3. Exercise 3 times per week.
4. Take 10 photos per day and post one of them online.
5. Complete a significant art project.
6. Go see live music 5 times.
7. Build or make something with my hands (a piece of furniture, for example).
8. Learn a new programming language and create something career-development-oriented with it.
9. Eat lunch in (i.e. make my own or eat leftovers) 15 days. At the end of the month splurge on dinner at a nice restaurant.

Here are some reasons why I think that this method will be more effective than just making a list of new year's resolutions:

• I only need to focus on one thing at a time, so it won't be overwhelming.
• Even if I am very intimidated by the goal or find it very difficult, I only need to do it for one month, so I'll be less likely to give up.
• Doing something regularly for a month may make it a habit, so, hopefully, I will continue some of the activities even when the month is up.
• I am making them public, which holds me more accountable.
• There are deadlines, so it's harder to procrastinate.

Wish me luck!!

Posted by Leon on December 27, 2007 02:26 AM

Comments

Posted by Ann on December 28, 2007 09:35 AM

Posted by barb on December 28, 2007 03:51 PM

Posted by jiggy on February 4, 2008 08:07 AM

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