From The Wall Street Journal comes more than resolutions. More, even, than sheer resolve. A set of specific tactics and techniques to fulfill your New Year’s resolutions enduringly.
It is no secret that the odds against keeping a New Year’s resolution are steep. Only about 19% of people who make them actually stick to their vows for two years, according to research led by John Norcross, a psychology professor at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.
But those discouraging statistics mask an important truth: The simple act of making a New Year’s resolution sharply improves your chances of accomplishing a positive change—by a factor of 10. Among those people who make resolutions in a typical year, 46% keep them for at least six months. That compares with only 4% of a comparable group of people who wanted to make specific changes and thought about doing so, but stopped short of making an actual resolution, says a 2002 study of 282 people, led by Dr. Norcross and published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology.
My resolution is to read the whole thing.
Wade Munday says:
Good article, thanks for sharing.
Here’s another good article regarding sticking to your New Year’s resolutions – http://zenhabits.net
My resolutions for 2010 are to:
1. Put my goals in writing (and track them)
2. Implement Zen To Done (ZTD/GTD) system to be more productive on the things that matter the most
3. Get organized and get rid of all the clutter in my life
Still working on my weight loss goal from Jan 2007. Down 30 lbs in the past 2 years. Got about 5 more pounds to go to reach my ultimate goal – 6 pack abs
Happy New Year!
December 30, 2009 — 10:23 am