I did a poor job of planning and maintaining my resolutions for 2011. Mostly, my resolutions were spur of the moment and not in line with what I wanted to accomplish.
My resolutions for 2012 are far more thought out and planned. They have more to do with changing my daily actions rather than setting arbitrary goals.

Research has shown that setting goals that include changing habits, such as not drinking soft drinks, go much further in bringing about change than setting a static goal, such as losing 10 pounds.

By not drinking a sugar-laden Coke, one can easily ditch 10 pounds in a year, but by simply saying “I’m going to lost 10 pounds,” with no plan in place, there is a much greater chance at failure. Also, one could easily achieve 10 pounds of weight loss in the first six weeks of the year, then abandon that goal and gain the weight back just as quickly.

So to that end, I have several goals that I hope to meet by way of resolving to take action in several areas.

Goal 1 – Personal Fitness

Actions:

• Go to the gym on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for strength training
• Go to the gym on Monday and Wednesday afternoons for cardiovascular work (and some weekends)
• Limit alcohol intake to no more than 1 drink per night and non-consecutive nights during the week
• Dine out no more than one lunch and two dinners each week
• Bring lunch to work at least four times per week

Desired Outcome – There is no set goal here, e.g. lose weight, in the above goal. Simply put, if I do the above on a consistent basis I will be much healthier than I am 365 days from now.

Goal 2 – Personal Development

Actions:

• Read (not on the web) for 45 minutes at least four times a week
• Limit TV time to no more than 80 consecutive minutes during the week
• Write a new blog post at least once per week

Desired Outcome – I want to limit my screen time away from the office and reading more or writing can help with that. Outside of an advanced degree, reading is the best way I can further my education. When I do write, I fully intend to gather source material beforehand and disconnect from the web to maintain focus.

Goal 3 – Give Back

Actions:

• Join and attend church services at least once per month
• Volunteer at least eight hours per month

Desired Outcome – There are hundreds of excuses why we haven’t joined a church since we’ve been married, and it’s one I think we both want to change in the coming year. I think weekly services or bible study could absolutely serve as a time of re-centering and re-focusing on goals. There was a time in my life when I volunteered several weekends per month. I want to get back to that. So much has been given to me, and I feel like I haven’t given anything back in many, many years aside from a quick donation online. It’s time to give back with some sweat equity.
Goal 4 – Odds and Ends

Actions:

• Stop biting my fingernails – I do this, a lot. It’s gross, I need to stop
• Listen more – I’m getting better at this
• Stop trying to one-up – My story is not always best, if others are wrong on inconsequential things, I need to let it go
• TBD