Tips & Insights for Top Performance » New Year’s resolutions

Staying Organized on a Monthly Basis

admin — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 19:14:39 +0000

Do you have a New Year’s Resolution to have more family balance and be more organized at home in 2011? Here was HGTV’s tips on staying organized on a monthly basis.

“STAY ORGANIZED CHECKLIST: MONTHLY

Bill Paying

Pay bills once or twice a month or set up automatic payments for recurring bills such as the mortgage, utilities and credit cards.

Paperwork

File paid bills in an accordion folder or similar filing system.
Update your designated file for receipts pertaining to taxes and deductions.

Bulk Shopping

Make a bulk shopping trip. Buy household items such as paper goods, cleaning supplies and toiletries. Purchasing these standard items on a monthly basis will streamline weekly shopping.

Calendar

Review the calendar at the beginning of each month to plan for upcoming events or gift purchases.”

Christy Geiger, Executive Business Coach & Trainer, Minneapolis, MN

Staying Organized on a Weekly Basis

admin — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 19:12:30 +0000

Do you have a New Year’s Resolution to have more family balance and be more organized at home in 2011? Here was HGTV’s tips on staying organized on a weekly basis.

“STAY ORGANIZED CHECKLIST: WEEKLY

Grocery Shopping and Meal Planning

Plan out the week’s meals on Sunday afternoon and create a shopping list.
Designate a time for coupon clipping and commit to it. Recycle unused coupons.
Shop once a week for family meals, bringing your menu plan with you.

Family Schedules

Review the calendar for the week with other family members to ensure you have all appointments accounted for.

Laundry

Set up a routine schedule for dry cleaning. Many dry cleaners will pick up and deliver weekly; your office might offer a similar program.
Attempt to do as much washing, folding and ironing before the week begins. This will save time during the week.

Car

Remove trash, and organize must-haves for the car.
Find homes for everything that does not belong in your car.”

Christy Geiger, Executive Business Coach & Trainer, Minneapolis, MN

A Four Step PLAN to Success (part 2)

admin — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 19:50:14 +0000

A = Adjust

Assess your environment and decide what things you need to change. Your environment around you makes a difference in your ability to work towards and implement your goal. Look at what things in your environment could hold you back from your goals and what things in your environment can help you accomplish them. What do you need to add and what do you need to get rid of? Right now, actively make these changes so that your environment is ready to support you in accomplishing your resolution. (Your environment may include the following: relationships; feelings; thoughts; health; time; energy sources; personal space of home, office, or car; and other things that you surround yourself with.)

N = Network

Ensure that someone or something around you knows your goal and will help you measure your progress. There are many Web sites that help you track and assess your goals, including as http://www.goals.com or http://sparklepeople.com/index.asp. Many other online tools that are topic specific, like http://www.foodfacts.com/public/nm_community.cfm work well. Perhaps you are more comfortable building a support system: either find someone who knows you well and with whom you are comfortable designing how they can support you, or arrange for an accountability buddy with whom you are in “competition” as you both strive to meet your respective goals.

When you use the four P.L.A.N. steps (PREPARE, LIST, ADJUST, and NETWORK) to outline your goals, you are setting yourself up for success. It is challenging to change behavior and that is what New Year’s resolutions usually are about.^¹ But, when you are thorough and diligent about planning on the front end, you can almost guarantee results on the back end. Now, the only thing left to do is implement the PLAN! You can do it. Charge into 2010 and keep working on your PLAN.

1 COMMON RESOLUTIONS: Spend more time with family & friends; exercise more, lose weight or eat better; quit smoking; enjoy life more & have fun; quit drinking; get out of debt, stick to a budget, save or earn more money; learn something new; find a better job; help others; become a better person; be more patient at work and/or with others; get organized.

A Four Step PLAN to Success (part 1)

admin — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:34:28 +0000

New Year’s resolutions, otherwise known as “good intentions,” are those things that are set at the beginning of the year when people feel they can wipe the slate clean and get a fresh start. It is said that 80% of all News Year’s resolutions fail. A survey conducted by Gail Kasper, LLC (www.gailkasper.com) finds that 51% of people don’t have New Year’s resolutions, and of those who do, 79% don’t have a plan to achieve them, leaving a small 9% of Americans serious about achieving their goals from the onset.

The truth is, resolutions can be accomplished. You just have to follow these four P.L.A.N. steps, and you can make your resolutions a success this year!

Simply follow the four-step P.L.A.N.:

P = Prepare

Visualize what you want. Sit down and really think through what it is that you want to accomplish. Plan with the end goal in mind.

Write your resolution/goal in the first person, as if it were already done.
Set a deadline of when you want it accomplished.
Write down the result of your accomplished goal and the reward you will give yourself when you meet it.
Now, walk backwards in your mind and write down at least three measurable mini-milestones. Do this so you can check your progress along the way. Prepare your mind and have a visual aid to keep in front of you so that you will be focused and committed in this next year.

L = List

Be clear about the commitment you are taking on and make some key lists to support your efforts.

What personal behaviors need to change to make this goal a reality?
What steps will you have to take to make it happen?
What are the barriers that might prevent you from accomplishing your goal?
What will you have to stop doing to make your goal a success?
What is in your control and what is out of your control? What can you do about each?
What are the “costs” you will have to pay to accomplish this resolution (e.g., if you are trying to lose weight, forfeiting potato chips)?
What are your strengths and weakness? How can you utilize them or watch out for them?

Review your lists to make sure you are really willing to pay the cost, are committed to changing your behavior, and are ready to do what it will take to follow the plan.