Tag Archive: new year

September – The New, New Year

September 1, 2016Blog, , , , ,

As I write this post, I’m looking out at a gorgeous blue sky free from oppressive humidity and full of the fresh crisp air that lifts my spirit like nothing else.

It’s September 1st. Fall is coming, Jon Snow. Fall is coming.

Since I was a little girl I have considered September 1st to be the “real” New Year’s Day – in addition to the weather I love the most, it’s the return to routine, which is also something I love. Whether it’s back to school, back to work after vacation season, back to cooking comfort food in the over after BBQ season, or back to a new TV season, it’s our launch into a new year of promise and opportunity.

So what can you do to mark this day?

At Whiteboard we seize any opportunity to make lists, set objectives, and identify and refine goals. So our recommendation is that you take a moment to write a few “New New Year” goals for yourself – this way you will have a productive fall season, and be well in line to enjoy the December holiday rush. Not only that, your January resolutions (if you do that sort of thing), will be a breeze.

But Resolutions and Goals Never Work

Never is a strong word. Granted, they are tough to maintain, even for the most diligent list-makers. And you know what? That’s ok. It’s totally fine to re-visit and re-write your goals from time to time.

By taking some time now, you will at least start your fall season off with intention (which is always a good thing). And if you follow our steps below, we believe you will stick with it longer than you normally might.

STEP ONE. ASK YOURSELF A FEW KEY QUESTIONS.

What is one thing that you did in the last several months that you are proud of? What things or conditions were in place to help you be successful?

What is one thing that you wish you did better? What were the barriers that were in the way, and what can you do to eliminate them as you go forward?

STEP TWO. CONSIDER A VARIETY OF GOALS.

Yes, this is a business blog, but you’re allowed to have goals other than professional goals. In fact, you should. It helps you with balance.

Health & fitness goals should focus on well-being and strength. Personal goals might focus on education, relationships, or achieving balance in your life. Community goals could help you find time to volunteer, get involved in a community group, or maybe become involved in your child’s school.

goals

STEP THREE. CHOOSE A GOAL.

Now pick a goal (or goals) relating to one of the areas you pondered. Before you get all excited and choose all three, go back to the questions you answered in Step One.

It may be (probably is, for most people) tough to choose goals in all three areas, so make sure you prioritize Fitness, Personal, and Community, and decide where you want to start. We recommend starting where you’re most likely to succeed – this helps you build confidence.

Whatever you decide:

  1. Make sure your goal is achievable. Ask a friend if you’ve bitten off more than you can chew, or if you’ve set a realistic challenge for yourself.
  2. Make sure you are very clear about what your goal is. This means it is measurable and has a timeline.
  3. Ask someone to help keep you accountable and check in with you on a regular basis.

And don’t forget that it’s ok to change your mind. December 1st is 3 months away, which is an ideal time to re-examine and re-set your goals.

Here’s to a productive, fun, and humidity-free fall season!

Until next time,

Ruth.

 

3 Steps to Keeping your 2015 New Year’s Resolution

January 9, 2015Blog, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Happy 2015! Hope you all had a restful and enjoyable season.  Now comes January.  The month of overflowing gyms, vegan cleanses (hey I’m on one too….I don’t judge), new organizational goals,and new ways of doing things.

Ruth and I have those annoying type-A and process based personalities that are ripe for habits and accountability.  Look at our blog for example, we’ve been consistently blogging every Friday for almost 4 years. Every Friday no matter what. Literally EVERY Friday. Every single one. Wait…wasn’t our last post a really long time ago? Well…..okay the last couple of months has been a little off. Why? We’ve been busy, but no busier than usual and not “crazy busy” (my pet peeve when people say this).  So what happened?

habitWe lost our trigger….

Of course we had reminders to do the blog! Little miss task list Ruth has us on quite the regimen! We have a recurring appointment in iCal that alternates between “Ruth Blog” and “Nicole Blog”. It was error proof! But occasionally we switched blogging dates. Sometimes the calendar had two different versions and I wasn’t sure if it was my blog day, or Ruth’s. One day one of us just forgot to do it, and then it happened again….and again.

We stopped doing the task….

This is just the actual act of writing the blog.  When we were in the “habit” of blogging it meant me knowing it was my blog week, thinking of potential topics, and making a mental note of what might be interesting that week.  Just the sheer act of getting prepared and starting to write it started a habit.  But as soon as I missed a blog or two, the task just kind of disappeared.

We stopped tracking….

When we were in the habit, one of us would usually ask the other : “Oh have you posted the blog yet?” or “Oh, its Friday, did we forget to post the blog?”, or “Can I help you with the blog this week?”. It was our way of keeping each other accountable (in a kind and curious way of course).  What happened instead was we said to one another: “Oh don’t worry about it, we’ll do it next week!, or “Oh you’ve been sick that’s okay.”, “Or, it’s the holidays, who has time to read our little blog”.  We were making it okay to not keep our habit! Excuses. Excuses. Excuses.

aristotle-quote-habitWhat about MY new habits?

So if you’ve made some new year’s resolutions like reducing your email inbox from 10,000 to 100, or meeting with your team members more regularly, or *gasp* implementing a new process -you need to make it a habit.  Use T3!

1. Trigger: Set a calendar reminder, use Siri,  put a post-it note on your monitor. Whatever works. Do it.  Do it in multiple ways.

2. Task: Do the task.  Do it the first time. Do it the second time.  Do it even if you get behind schedule do it anyways. Even if it is late or seems futile. Do it.

3. Tracking: Find someone to keep you accountable. Ask them to follow up with you.  Ask them to be your accountability partner.  Make a chart in your office that everyone can see. Find someone/something to cheer you on when you did it and call you out when you didn’t do it.

Let us know how these help you keep a habit on your new years goals!  Keep us posted on Twitter @whiteboardcons!

Until Next Time,

Nicole