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Why New Year’s Resolutions Often Fail

12/28/2011 By Nancy Borg With no comments yet

Do your New Year’s resolutions seem redundant year after year? Something like…eat healthier, lose weight, join a gym, recycle, save more money?

As if our lives aren’t stressful enough, why must we conclude the year with an endless list of personal promises and lofty goals that are unlikely to be all fulfilled?  Granted, it serves us good to at least write a list of what we hope to accomplish, but who really needs the added pressure of such a dubious pledge?  I’m all for reflection and resolution, but doable trumps all.  We all have good intentions of course, but if we’re finding ourselves reaching for repetitive goals every year, perhaps we should tailor them to be more practical.  And maybe, just maybe, we’re throwing too many ideas into the pot.  Beginning a brand new calendar year can be motivating and  yet tempting to re-invent ourselves.  But it is improbable that we can fix everything that is lacking in ourselves in one year.

Don’t set yourself up for failure.  Avoid making such a long list of impossible dreams.  Look to manage stress this year, not create more.  This would be the time to organize all facets of your life; personal, family, business, etc.

Prioritize your goals and go after the important ones with gusto. Focus on what did not work so well this past year and make the necessary improvements.  Better to do one thing well, than a lot of mediocre.

Or…

STOP making specific resolutions altogether and simply start living a better life, in general.  Pay attention to yourself, be true to who you really are, and like Oprah will tell ya, “live your best life!”

Here’s some easy ways to start;

  • Keep learning
  • Be kind-er than you were last year
  • Be grateful for what you have
  • Live a healthi-er life than you did last year
  • Smile more
  • Laugh often
  • Love more

An above all…

  • Eat the ice cream! (indulge now and then, with no regrets)

If this sounds a bit cliche, do not overlook the significance of these simple attainable pleasurable objectives.  But you can of course opt out of any of these, and find your own creative ways to make life better than it was last year.   An overall positive outlook is a great instigator for productive change, and that attitude alone, will inspire you to get closer to your aspirations.  If nothing else, striving to be more organized will provide you with the focus you need to affect this change.

Happy New Year! Rejuvenate. Turn the page.  How are you going to make this next year better?

 

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How Some Skillful Time-management Can Obliterate Overwhelm: The 4 Step Plan

12/20/2011 By Nancy Borg With 1 comment


Being overwhelmed about anything can be paralyzing.  If a project looms too large, it’s far easier to ignore it and avoid it, than tackle it.  The best tool we have to manage this state of procrastination is the power and control we get from organization. It is our only defense against all odds because it cajoles us into taking that first step. Any plan is an incentive to be productive.

While the big picture of any situation is often clarifying, it can be equally daunting.  Goal setting is a powerful technique but without the proper tools of how to get there, one can easily get discouraged, overwhelmed, and lost in despair.

How you utilize and your organize your time is critical.  These are some effective tools you can use to guide you through any personal project; large or small, at home or in the office.

    • Organize:  Create a list of similar goals so that once immersed, you won’t have to task switch and you can remain in a productive zone.  Group tasks in the same room and avoid zigzagging all over the place.
    • Prioritize:  Once you’ve organized your to do’s, you will be able to prioritize what is most important.  Setting goals will help you to accomplish them.  Identify the highest priority and attack.
    • Focus:  Select a time period for stop and start, and stick to these strict parameters.  Do not deviate from the task.  Work on one project or task at a time, for an uninterrupted block of time (even if it’s only 30 minutes). Avoid thinking about the big picture for now and focus on what’s immediately in front of you.  Do not be overly ambitious with your expectations. Keep your goals realistic for the time period you’ve set aside.  Feeling a sense of accomplishment after each block of time will probably fuel your drive to complete the project. The closer you get to your goal, the more encouraged you will be to continue.  Be kind to yourself, don’t take on too much. Just remember, if you break down chores into manageable steps, you will eventually fulfill them.
    • Systemize:  Establish a routine so you can consistently schedule your tasks and create a good work flow. This could be daily, weekly, or monthly, depending on the task at hand.  Carving out time in your day on a consistent basis will maintain your productivity level.  When you schedule, you are prepared to commit to the process and its completion.

     

No matter the scope of the project, it is a necessity to organize it first, in order to accomplish it.  It doesn’t matter if you’re cleaning out a closet or creating a new filing system. Manage your time wisely and you can achieve anything.

Create a strategy.  Think it through.  Take a breath.  Make a plan.  Are you ready?  On your mark, get set, GO!

 

 

 

 

 

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Checked Out on the CheckOut Line?

12/13/2011 By Nancy Borg With 5 comments

OK, so you’ve finally finished holiday shopping for the day,  you’re back is breaking, and your arms are shackled with all the presents you just found.  The handles of the already filled shopping bags (from the previous stores) are now digging into your only free hand, and so you’re eager to get on the checkout line and make a quick exit.

Think again.  This is an impossible task during holiday season, so like all the other tired and cranky shoppers,  you get on the line to wait, but only to wait some more.  Your’e exhausted and want to leave, but you know you can’t, certainly not after painstakingly selecting all those great picks for your family and friends.

So you stand there on the checkout line, and start checking out what all the other people bought, and start thinking if you bought everything you need and want, and if you’re even happy with your purchases. 

Either way, you’re  not getting off the line, you must tough it out, so you just continue to wait.  Then it happens.  Your mind begins to wander and you float off into that zone…you know that empty stare, that glazed-over look that really resembles a zombie more than a person with a soul. Once you’ve entered this checked- out state, you are void of any intelligent thought. All you can repeatedly think about is going home, until your mind wanders off once again.

So when exactly did we cross over from the jaunty jolly to the tired and worn out? Holiday shopping is exhausting.  Crowded malls, intolerable long lines, and shopper’s rage can dim the soothing music very quickly.  The sheer volume of people can be unbearable and the checkout linescan sometimes be the most agonizing and stressful.

If only the stores could simplify the checkoutand have roaming salespeople equipped with hand-held card swiping machines, thereby reducing the wait time.  Wait a minute, there already is such a genius system.  But it’s only at the Apple store.  Ugh.

Maybe one day, in a perfect world, holiday shoppingcan be painless.  A girl can dream,  can’t she?

How is your holiday shopping going? Check in with me, I would love to hear from you.

 

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A Great Find …and Hopefully a Keeper!

12/06/2011 By Nancy Borg With 1 comment

So many of us are travelling at this time of year, the thought of losing luggageand personal items are always an added to the travel stress.  “Americans lose over 2 million items per month including iPhone, Blackberry, keys, luggage, treasured journals, and more.”   Did you know that over “50, 000 laptops are lost at the top 36 airports every month?”

Here’s the misconception, ” 70% of people surveyed believe they have no way to get those lost items back.”

Until now.

I came across a service that provides a confidential ID system designed not only to track your luggage, but all of your other favorite stuff!  No more exposing your private info on your personal things, in public places;  Go to TurlyTag and check it out.

Once you create an account, TurlyTag sends you a variety of ID tags for your bags, and stickers for your laptops and cell phones.  Each of your items will be tagged with your designated account number and if the worst happens, TurlyTag can recover your things without revealing your identity.

When someone finds your tagged item, it will be easy for TurlyTag to retrieve it.  They provide a return shipping allowance to help handle shipping your things back to you. If the costs exceed your allowance, you just have to pay the difference.  Should you choose to, you may also offer rewards through this service.

Kudos to www.boomerangit.com, another service that protects your identity and valuables from being lost or stolen, quickly and confidentially (I wish I knew about this before I accidentally left my Blackberry in a taxi).

Be smart with your smart technology and protect your gadgets when you travel.  After all, it is YOUR stuff.  What an efficient way to minimize the LOST and maximize the FOUND!

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