You Probably Have Too Many New Year’s Resolutions

I fancy myself a productivity nerd. Which is why it pains me to say that in many ways I’m not very productive. I’m decent at getting things done for work. I’m terrible at getting things done at home. And when it comes to getting things done for myself (i.e. side projects and exploring my interests)…don’t even get me started.

My intentions are always pretty good. Each December I sit down and put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) and thing about what I want to accomplish in the upcoming year. And each year I walk away with a decent-sized list of things that will end up going nowhere — usually by February.

So, why do I fail?

Admittedly, I’m probably overly hard on myself. I’m not one who likes to make excuses, but I have three kids all under the age of six. That pretty much puts a dent into free time and free time is usually a necessity for getting things done. I also work hard and spend lots of time thinking about work — even outside of typical work hours.

Side note: for whatever reason, I’m at my most productive between the hours of 4 pm and midnight on Fridays. Yep, that’s not ideal when you have a family.

Looking back on the last few years of new year’s resolutions and goals, I think I’ve found a commonality across my lists that might have contributed to my failures. For one, my lists are typically long.

My personal interests are quite wide-ranging. So to satiate all the areas that I think I find interesting, I’ll typically have some type of corresponding goal. Lots of interests = lots of goals.

Additionally, while I have gotten into the habit of making my goals specific and measurable, I haven’t been so good making them achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

So, for 2022 I’m going to do something different. I’m going to have just one objective.

And the more I think about it, the more I feel like if I can nail this one thing that my life (and the lives of those around me) will be exponentially better in the best possible way.

In 2022, I’m going to focus on finding joy.

What gets me excited? What makes me happy? What gets me out of bed?

Here’s a better year for everyone in 2022! What’s the one thing you’ll be focusing on?