Dear Readers,
It's February, which likely means that we've all read more than enough articles about New Year's Resolutions in the past month-and-a-half. Plenty of us have grown tired of our own goals. I must confess to breaking a few of mine (definitely turn on my computer before my workout in the morning). Oddly enough, though, I'm not done thinking or talking about my resolutions
(which you can find on the "Dreams and Plans" page). I'm an avid goal-setter, and it's hard to make me tire of reading and thinking about how to achieve my aims. Unfortunately, I'm much better at making goals than keeping them. I've spent many a New Year's Eve making a long list of elaborate objectives, and many a new year failing to attain them. This year, however, I'm trying to be more practical and effective in setting and pursuing goals. One month in, it seems to be going all right. So I thought I'd share a few strategies I'm employing this year. After all, February is as good a time as any to make progress in life.
1. Rig the Game
A great temptation in setting goals is to be too ambitious. The heady thought of a new year, a changed life, free of mundane constraints and errors, can tempt us to make heroic pronouncements which we will never live up to. This can take one of two forms. On one hand, we can make goals that are to vague. I don't think I've encountered an advice article that doesn't warn against this. "Set measurable goals" is a trope of the genre. The advice is common because the corresponding error is common. It's easy to determine to "lose weight" or "exercise more" or "read more books" or "be kinder." Such formulations exist purely in the world of the ideal, unsullied by everyday disillusionment. They suit the optimism that motivates goal setting. But they simply aren't sufficient.
On the other hand, we can make goals that are too specific--and too demanding. For example, if I resolve to exercise or read my Bible every single day this year, I know exactly what is required of me. But I will probably have broken my resolution by January 4th. For me, it's crucial to make resolutions that I can really keep all year, in spite of lapses or errors. Keeping goals is all about the momentum. That's why, instead of telling myself that I'll read the Bible every day this year, I'm aiming to read through it chronologically over the course of the year. I've already missed a few days. But I'm making good progress, keeping momentum, and feeling great about it. For me, thinking in terms of trajectory makes a massive difference. So I aim to keep my resolutions specific, but not so specifically challenging that I can't achieve them. By making the right resolutions, I can set myself up for success--I can rig the game in my favor.
2. Prioritize
If you take a look at my resolutions for the year, you'll notice that there are a lot of them. 29, to be precise. Thoroughness is my besetting temptation. In attempting to implement these, though, I've found that I need to focus on a few. So, next to my list of resolutions, which I've posted above my desk, I have a sticky note with six bullet points on it. This note details my goals for the next six months. If I achieve the six items on that note, I will be absolutely thrilled with my productivity during the period. This sort of prioritization has helped me arrange my schedule more effectively. I'm making some real progress, and I'm quite excited about it. So even if you have a lot of goals for the year, I encourage you to break your list into manageable items to which you can devote your energies.
3. Value Progress, Not Perfection
As I look back over the past year, I'm fairly pleased. The period didn't go exactly how I expected, or how I wanted. For example, I didn't start grad school, which was difficult to accept. But I did make some excellent progress in other areas of life. I can run farther and faster than I could 12 (or 13) months ago. I lost some weight. I presented a couple of papers and taught an SAT class completed a full round of graduate school applications for next fall. Out of the thirteen or fourteen goals I set for last year, I achieved 6 of them. Less than 50%. And I'm happy with that. Certainly, I could have done more. But I could have done a lot less. So I'll take my "failing grade" as a victory. Ultimately, I think this is the healthiest way to view goal setting. Maybe you only keep a few of your resolutions. But you kept them. You are one--or five--steps closer to being the person you want to be. None of us will ever achieve perfection, in any area of life. Sorry to break that to you, if you hadn't realized it already. But embracing our imperfection can free us to strive on, regardless. I suppose this is a minor application of the noble ideal of fighting the long defeat. If you aren't familiar with the concept, you can read a wonderful essay on the topic by one of my college professors here. Give yourself grace to fail, but keep seeking to do better.
Bonne chance!
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